


Worth Having

by GreenBird (lovestryker)



Series: Worth Having [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:43:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 51,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1481686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestryker/pseuds/GreenBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SPN Kink Meme prompt:<br/>Jared's family has never hidden that they hate him for being an omega. They think it makes him weak and his existence dishonors their family. When they discover that the king's son is looking for a mate they jump at the chance to rid themselves of Jared and increase their social standing. They believe that something good should come from the blight on their lives.<br/>Jared is anything but weak. He is intelligent and strong, not to mention that he isn't small. His siblings have taken great pleasure in informing him what the rest of his life is going to be like. Jared can expect to be  barefoot and pregnant, his only purposes in life to service his mate's sexual needs and to provide him with heirs. They even suggest he will never be allowed to leave his mate's bedroom. Jared refuses to allow this to happen and vows to himself that he won't go down without a fight.<br/>He's completely unprepared when the king's alpha son Jensen treats him like something precious and is interested in actually getting to know Jared better. Jared is wary, convinced that this is some sort of trick and Jensen will turn on him any second and treat Jared exactly as Jared's siblings said he would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Having

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Angst Menagerie and Space Monkey 52 for the beta work. All remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> Jared is seventeen through most of the fic, but I wouldn't consider this an underage fic. Also, the threat of non-con is only in one scene.

Jared slowed the treadmill to a walk, and grabbed the towel from the handrail to wipe himself down as he brought his breathing back under control. Working out always helped him to calm and center himself, and he knew that he would need all the control he could muster to face the family dinner he was being forced to attend that evening. Earlier in the day his mother had told him that his father had a big announcement to make, and that his older sister and brother, and his brother’s wife would be joining them.

“Dinner will be at seven o’clock. I’ve chosen an outfit for you; it’s on your bed. Heaven knows what you’d show up in if I hadn’t,” she said with a look of contempt. “And try to do something with your hair. It’s ridiculous, falling all over your face like that.” 

Jared had been on his knees in the small vegetable garden his parents had begrudgingly allowed him to have (“In the far corner of the yard, behind the house. It’s bad enough that you’re an omega; we certainly don’t need anyone to see you playing in the dirt,” his mother had said). It was one of the few places that Jared felt truly at peace and content with himself. Their cook was a kindly, widowed beta, and she happily used the vegetables and herbs that Jared grew. She would sometimes let Jared help her cook if no one was home, and more than once his family had praised her cooking without knowing that Jared had actually prepared the meal.

“Seven sharp, Jared,” his mother said, turning her back on him and returning to the house. Jared had sighed as he reluctantly cleaned and returned his gardening tools to the shed, then headed inside to the gym. He’d have to hurry if he wanted to get his workout in.

Heartbeat slowed, he stepped off the treadmill and found his sister smirking at him from the doorway. Giselle was two years older than Jared, and at twenty she was a junior at a private university one town over. She was a beta, and her plan was to have a career in pediatric medicine, marry a rich alpha, and use a ‘lowly’ omega to bear their children. (“Why would I want to put my body through that? Sure, I want to have kids, but I’m not a slave to my biology like you are, Jared.”)

Jared had been home schooled. When he’d turned fourteen and much to his parent’s horror it had become apparent that he was an omega, they’d pulled him from school. They hadn’t wanted to ‘waste’ their money on a tutor, but his Uncle James had convinced them that Jared would be worth more to them in the long run if he was allowed to complete his education. They’d reluctantly agreed, and though Jared missed his friends terribly, he knew that he was lucky that he’d even been allowed to finish school. He’d broached the subject of college with his father once, but the humiliation brought on by that conversation had been enough to even stop the fantasies he’d harbored about living on his own one day. 

“Jared, you’re an omega. I’ve let you have your tutor, but I’m not going to waste any more money on you. You’ll go to the alpha who is the highest bidder when you turn eighteen, and you won’t be our problem anymore.”

Jared tried to ignore Giselle, but she blocked his exit, “Why do you even bother, Jared? It’s not like whatever alpha you wind up with is going to care what you look like. I doubt he’ll even let you out of the bedroom. You’ll just be a wet hole for him, used to pop out babies.”

“Leave me alone,” he muttered, shouldering past her.

“Oh, does our little kitten have claws today?” she said with a mocking laugh that followed him down the hallway.  
++  
Jared sat at the far end of the table and pushed the food around on his plate. No one had even acknowledged his presence, and he didn’t know why his mother had insisted on his attendance. He knew that they’d be happier if he’d eaten in the kitchen like he usually did when they had a family dinner. He tried not to think about what it was like before they’d found out what he was. He’d been a valued and loved member of the family, doted on by all of them since he was the youngest. 

“Jared!” his mother snapped. “Try to pay attention.”

Jared looked around the table. His mother had obviously been trying to get his attention while he was lost in thought.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“As I was saying,” his father said with a pointed look, “I received a very interesting phone call from the Omega Agency today.”

That certainly caught Jared’s attention. He didn’t turn eighteen for another four months, the age at which an omega could be registered and sold off to an alpha, so he’d thought that he had some time. Living in his childhood home was a lonely nightmare, but the thought of being sold off to a stranger was even worse.

Only about ten percent of the population was omega, and the numbers declined each year. Omegas were considered weak and slow, with their only use being as a baby factory. Since female alphas and betas were growing more fertile with each generation, the value of omegas had sunk even lower.

Alphas and betas had complete autonomy and freedom, able to come and go as they pleased, make their own decisions, and be their own people. Omegas were typically hidden away as a family’s dirty little secret. When they turned eighteen they were registered with the government run Omega Agency, and were able to be purchased by anyone with enough money. Those who were bought were typically used for breeding, or as servants. Those who weren’t bought by the time they were twenty were sent to special ‘camps’ where they were used as free labor wherever the government needed. Jared thought it would be better to be sent to a camp. He knew that it would be a tough life, but at least he’d be surrounded by other omegas, and not be used by some rich asshole as a life sized sex toy.

“King Robert’s youngest son, Prince Jensen, is ready to be married and start a family. For some unknown reason he wants to wed an omega. He has some very specific requirements, and you, Jared, match those almost exactly.”

“But I’m not eighteen yet,” Jared said.

His father snorted, “You think that matters? I greased a few palms to get you registered early, and it’s a good thing that I did, boy. Marrying Prince Jensen would not only boost our social standing, joining our family with the Ackles, but it would also rid us of you sooner than expected. It’s a win all around. The wedding is set for two weeks from now.”

“What? No! I…I haven’t even met him. I don’t want-“

“It doesn’t matter what you want, Jared,” his father cut him off with an icy tone. “This is the best we could hope for, with having such a disappointment as you. It’s certainly better than we ever dreamed could happen. You will marry him, and you will do as he says. You’ve brought enough disgrace to this family already. Do you understand me?”

Jared dropped his eyes, damning his instinct to submit to his father’s word, “Yes, sir.”  
___  
After his father’s announcements, Jared was once again ignored as the conversation turned to the coming wedding and what it would mean for their family. Jared quietly slipped from the table and went to his room. He held his tears in until the door was firmly closed behind him; he didn’t need to give his family any more ammunition against him.

He slid to the floor, his knees drawn to his chest, and his face buried in his arms. He let himself cry for a few minutes, and then angrily swiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hands. He would not let this break him. He was worth something; he could be something, if someone would just give him the chance. He’d excelled in school when he’d been allowed to go, and his tutor was always impressed by his quick comprehension and creativity.

Maybe the Prince would allow him some freedom. Surely, he’d have better things to do during his days than babysit his omega. Maybe he could make a deal with the man. Jared wouldn’t fight him in exchange for some small bit of freedom. He shook his head. Who was he kidding? If the Prince wanted to marry an omega, there must be something wrong with him. Maybe he was horribly disfigured or cruel and wanted to have a plaything that wouldn’t fight back. Jared stared longingly at the computer on his desk. It was several years old, and a lower end model that his parents had gotten for him at his tutor’s insistence. Unfortunately, what limited Internet access he’d had had been taken away from him when he’d finished his studies. He would have loved to be able to look up some information on his future husband. He knew of the King, and of his eldest daughter, Sarah, who was heir to the throne, but he knew nothing of the rest of the family.

He slowly got ready for bed, resigned to a future he had no say in.  
++  
The next week and a half seemed to both fly by, and be never ending. Jared was visited by the Court’s medical doctor where he was poked and prodded and treated like an animal getting ready to be shown. He spent countless hours standing on a small stool trying to avoid being stuck by pins as a team of tailors worked to get him an appropriate wardrobe in the short time they’d been given. That had actually given him a bit of hope that he’d be allowed out and about, but his brother had quickly disavowed him of that notion by saying that even show horses were dressed up from time to time.

His mother was constantly lecturing him on remembering his manners, to sit up straight, to brush his hair, to do this and not do that until he finally just tuned her out. His father ignored him after giving him a lecture about how he had better remain on his best behavior and not spoil things for his family. His sister, brother, and sister-in-law stayed at the house the week of the wedding, taking every opportunity to remind Jared that he was being sold as a whore, and that he’d probably be chained to the bed, forced to drop to his knees whenever the Prince demanded.

“He’s gonna knock you up a few times, and then get rid of you.” Giselle had taunted before turning to his brother. “Hey, do you think they still have a dungeon at the palace?” 

They’d laughed, and Jared had tried his best to avoid them as much as possible after that.  
++  
It was the Wednesday before the wedding when Jared was called down to the front door by the maid. There was a tall man in a suit waiting for him just inside the door, “Jared?” he said with a smile and held out his hand for Jared to shake.

Jared hesitated. He’d not shaken anyone’s hand since his omega status had been revealed, and he wasn’t sure whether or not this was a trick set up by his family. He reluctantly reached out and clasped the man’s hand quickly, before shoving his own hands deeply in his pockets.

The man didn’t seem at all phased by Jared’s apparent lack of manners. His smile softened, “My name is Ty. I’m Prince Jensen’s personal assistant. He asked me to stop by and-“

“Jared Tristan Padalecki! What are you doing out here?” his mother practically screeched as she quickly stepped between the two men. “I am so sorry, sir. Jared knows better than to be out of his room, bothering our guests. I’m Joyce-“

It was Ty’s turn to interrupt. His smile turned cold, “I know very well who you are, Mrs. Padalecki. I’m here to see Jared at the request of Prince Jensen.” He turned toward Jared, effectively ignoring an outraged looking Joyce. “Is there somewhere in private we can speak, Mr. Padalecki?”

Jared glanced nervously between Ty and his mother. His mother’s face was red, and Ty looked like he was trying his hardest to hold back his laughter. Jared decided that no matter what the letter said, he definitely liked Ty. “Uh, yeah. We could go into the library. It’s right this way.”

Ty followed Jared down a mahogany paneled hallway, and made sure that Jared’s mother hadn’t followed them before closing the doors. “Is she always that high strung?”

Jared laughed. “That was nothing.”

“I’ll bet you’ll be glad to get out of here.”

Jared’s smile faltered, and he stuttered out a very unenthusiastic, “Yes, sir.”

“Can we sit down, Jared? Is it okay if I call you Jared?”

Jared gave Ty a look of shocked disbelief, “What else would you call me?”

“Mr. Padalecki. After Saturday I guess I’d call you, well, I’m not exactly sure. Mr. Ackles maybe?”

Jared sunk down into one of the leather armchairs facing the stone fireplace, and Ty took the seat across from him. “Jared is fine,” he said faintly. He wasn’t sure if Ty was messing with him, mocking him, though he seemed genuine enough.

“This is all quite a shock to you, isn’t it?”

Jared numbly nodded.

“Jen- Prince Jensen,” Ty corrected himself, “was afraid it probably was. He wanted to meet you before now, but royal wedding protocol and all that,” Ty said as he waved his hand in disgust. “It’s a bunch of bullshit, if you ask me.”

Jared choked a little at that, making Ty laugh. “Obviously I mean that with the utmost respect,” he said with a wink. “Anyway, Prince Jensen asked me to stop by and give you this,” Ty slid an envelope from inside his jacket across the small cocktail table between the chairs, “and to make sure that you knew what was going on.”

Jared just stared at him blankly. “Okay, I take your silence to mean that you have no idea. Tomorrow you and your family will be taken to the palace, and don’t worry, I’ll make sure that your room is well away from your mother’s. Friday is the official meeting of the families. The press will be there, as well as the Court. Saturday morning will be the wedding ceremony. That afternoon the King will introduce you to the people, and then that evening will be the reception. Unfortunately, Prince Jensen has duties that will prevent him from taking you on your honeymoon right away, but he said to assure you that he’ll do it as soon as he’s able.”

Jared’s face was pale and his hands were shaking by the time Ty was finished with his explanation. He’d had no idea that the wedding would be so involved, or so public. His parents hadn’t given him any indication, or prepared him in any way. 

Suddenly, it felt like his throat was closing, and he couldn’t get enough air. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, and his hands were going numb. Ty quickly kneeled in front of him, rubbing his shoulders and helping him to get his breathing under control. Jared didn’t know how long they sat like that, but when he had himself pulled back together he was exhausted, and his shirt was stuck to his skin with cold sweat. He could feel the stain of embarrassment on his cheeks, and he wouldn’t meet Ty’s eyes.

Ty stood, keeping a hand on Jared’s shoulder in reassurance, “Your parents have really done a number on you, haven’t they kid?” 

Jared didn’t know what to say to that, so he kept silent.

“Are you okay now?” Jared nodded. “Read the letter. I’m sure it will make you feel better. It was nice to meet you, Jared.” Jared nodded again, and Ty quietly left the room. 

Jared sat in silence for a few minutes. His head was spinning, and pounding thanks to the panic attack, with everything he’d just been told. He didn’t trust it. Sure, Ty had seemed sincere, but it was probably a trick. His brother and sister had delighted in doing that sort of thing to Jared when they’d still lived at home. They’d tell him that they had a surprise for him, or that they were going somewhere, only to find out later that Jared wasn’t included. It hadn’t taken him long to learn not to trust them, and why would Prince Jensen be any better? The guy who was buying a husband?

Jared picked up the letter and put it in his pocket, hiding it under his shirt. He didn’t have any idea what was in it, but he was certain that it wasn’t anything he wanted to share with his family. He left the library, intent on going to his room, showering, and packing the few meager belongings that he wanted to take with him. He was stopped at the bottom of the stairs by his brother, Cole.

“Heard you had a visitor, little brother. Who was he?”

Jared kept his eyes down. Cole was an alpha, and he was never afraid to use his status against his little brother. “His name is Ty, and he’s the Prince’s assistant.”

“Hmm, you look…sweaty,” Cole said contemplatively as he circled around behind Jared. Jared was tall, especially for an omega, but Cole was even taller, and he was one of the few people who could truly make Jared feel physically small. “Oh, I get it. Was he here to sample the merchandise?”

“No!” Jared blurted, his face and neck going hot, which just made Cole chuckle darkly. 

“I’ll bet he bent you right over the back of the couch, didn’t he? Wanted to make sure that the Prince wasn’t getting used merchandise. Did you get wet for him? I’ll bet he stuck a finger right up your pussy, made sure you would be nice and tight for the royal cock? I’m sure he wasn’t stupid enough to fuck you, but I’ll bet he put you on your knees after. Did he fuck your face? Make sure that the hole in your head was as inviting as the hole in your ass?”

Jared tried to keep his tears in check, but it was futile, and they ran down his cheeks as he silently cried. He had worshiped his big brother when he was little, and Cole had been affectionate and accommodating, letting Jared tag along with him and his friends more often than not. But all that had changed overnight when Jared didn’t turn out to be an alpha like his family had expected. This person taunting him, being cruel and humiliating him wasn’t the older brother that Jared had known, and it tore at his heart.

“Stop it Cole, please,” he whispered and tried to get to the stairs. Cole grabbed him by the arm so hard that Jared was sure that he’d have bruises from it, and pulled him until Jared’s back was pressed against Cole’s chest. Jared could feel his brother’s erection pressing into him, and he thought he might be sick.

“Aw, is my slutty little omega gonna cry? Sob all you want, no one here cares. Maybe I should put you on your knees myself, see how far down your throat I can get before you gag. I’ll bet you’d get wet for me, wouldn’t you? You’d probably beg for your big brother’s cock up your ass.”

“Please Cole, please just let me go,” Jared whispered. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop Cole if he decided to make good on his threat, and he had never been more terrified in his life.

Cole laughed and ground his erection against Jared, but before he could say anything their father came in the front door. “What are you two doing?”

“Nothing Dad, Jared and I were just chatting.”

“Yeah, it looks like it,” his dad chuckled. “Sorry to spoil your fun, Cole, but your aunt and uncle will be here soon. Jared, you get upstairs and stay there. I don’t want you down here ruining dinner.”

Cole pushed Jared away and he stumbled, catching himself at the last minute on the banister and hurrying upstairs, his father and brother’s laughter following him.  
++  
Jared hurried to his room, tore off his clothes, and got into the hottest shower he could stand. His bedroom door didn’t have a lock on it, but his bathroom door did, and Jared was grateful. His brother’s cruel words stuck to his skin like an oily residue, and Jared scrubbed and scrubbed until he felt raw. 

He showered and dressed, and then wedged his desk chair under his bedroom door knob. He didn’t think that Cole would try anything else, and he was sure that the chair wouldn’t really stop an attempt to get into his room, but it afforded him at least a little sense of security.

He sat cross-legged on his bed, turning the envelope over and over in his hands. After what he’d just experienced with his brother, he couldn’t imagine that the letter could make him feel worse. He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of expensive stationary.

Dear Jared,  
I hope this letter finds you well, and looking forward to our coming nuptials, though I fear that you’re not as excited about them as I am. I wish that I’d had the opportunity to court you properly, but as I’m sure you’re aware, your status as omega makes that impossible.  
I’m afraid that our first meeting won’t be until Friday, in front of our families, and the press, and the official royal introduction is not the way a fiancé should meet his intended. I thought it might give you at least a little piece of mind to know a bit about me before that happens.  
First though, in all fairness, I should let you know that I already know quite a bit about you. Your father placed quite a… verbose I guess one could say, description of you with the Omega Agency. However, I think that most of it was just what he thought an alpha would want to hear, and not the truth, which probably makes you wonder just how I can say that I feel as if I already know you.  
Your tutor, Michael Reynolds, is one of my father’s childhood friends, and I consider him an uncle. He has dinner with my family at least once a month, and he was always telling me about you. How smart, and creative you are. How kind, compassionate, and handsome.  
You might find that strange, but he saw in you someone he thought would be the perfect match for me. I’ve known since a young age that I not only wanted to marry a man, but that I wanted to marry an omega who could give me a family of my own without involving a surrogate.  
Anyway, each time he’d visit he’d tell me a bit more about you, and I contacted the Omega Agency and told them to let me know as soon as your father registered you. I do hope that this doesn’t put me in a bad light in your eyes, or frighten you in anyway. I promise you that I have no ill intentions toward you, but just want a chance to get to know you and find out if we are as perfect a match as my Uncle Michael thinks we are.  
I’m not very good at describing myself, but I’ll give it a try. I’m just over 6 feet tall, and I have short, light brown hair. My eyes are green, and I have these annoying freckles all over. I am an advisor to my father, and also assist my mother in her charity work. I like old horror movies, sports, and taking pictures with my grandfather’s old camera. I suppose maybe I’m a bit boring compared to what people usually think a prince is like. I hope that I won’t disappoint you.  
I am very much looking forward to meeting you, Jared.  
Yours,  
Jensen

Jared read the letter through three times, trying to understand what he was reading. He felt a spark of hope ignite in his chest, and he fought valiantly to extinguish it. There was no way that what the letter said was true. Jared couldn’t figure out what the catch was, but he was positive there was one. Mr. Reynolds had never mentioned any connection to the King, and though he had always been kind and encouraging to Jared, he hadn’t shown him any true affection, or led Jared to believe that he was in any way special.  
Jared fell asleep just before dawn, the letter still clutched in his hand.  
++  
Jared was woken by a knock on his door. He blearily opened his eyes and glanced at the clock, before stumbling out of bed and opening the door. It was ten in the morning, which meant that he’d gotten just a few hours of sleep.

Gemma, their cook, was at his door with a tray in her hands. She’d been with Jared’s family his whole life, and she was the only one in the house who didn’t treat Jared as if he was worthless. “May I come in dear?”

“Yes, of course,” Jared said with a smile. She was one of the few things he thought he’d miss.

She sat the tray on his dresser, and then took his hand and sat with him on the edge of his bed, “You didn’t come down for breakfast, so I brought it to you.”

“I didn’t sleep very well, and I’m not all that hungry, but thank you.”

“That’s understandable, but promise me you’ll try to eat at least a few bites. I made your favorite.” When Jared nodded she went on, “Life has been so unfair to you, my sweet boy. The way your family has treated you…” she trailed off, the hand not holding Jared’s tightening into a fist. “I hope that I was able to make things at least a little bearable for you. I tried to talk to your mother and father about how they were treating you, but, well,” she shrugged.

Jared enveloped her in a hug. He’d had no idea that she’d done that for him.

She squeezed him back before pulling away, and patting him on his cheek, “My letter of resignation is on your father’s desk. As soon as I help you pack your things, I’ll be leaving this place, and I won’t be coming back.”

“What? Why?” Jared’s family might treat him as a leper, but they had always been kind to Gemma, and he knew that they thought of her as family.

She shook her head, “I wish you could see what I see in you. Your family, well, they’re not who I thought they were. The only reason I’ve stayed this long is to try to take care of you.”

This time when the tears came, Jared didn’t even try to stop them, “I don’t know what to say. You can’t do this; I’m not worth it.”

“There’s nothing to say. We’re both moving on to bigger and better things. I’m going to go stay with my daughter for a while and spoil my grandkids, and you, you’re going to live in an honest to goodness palace!”

Jared looked away, and Gemma gently turned his face back toward her, “I know what you’re thinking. You’ve been sold to a man you know nothing about, and I know what your brother and sister have been telling you for years. Now, I’ve never met the Prince, but I’ve read about him, and I’ve watched him on TV., and I think that he’s a good man. I think that he’ll treat you well. Your parents have kept you so sheltered, but things are changing, Jared.”

“What do you mean? What things?”

“Things that will make this world a much better place for you. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen.”

Jared gave her a skeptical look. “Have I steered you wrong in the past, young man?” She asked with a smile.

Jared grinned a little, “No, ma’am.”

“That’s right. So you’re going to have to trust me on this. I think that Prince Jensen will be good for you, but you’re going to have to open your heart a bit; let him inside the walls that you’ve built to protect yourself. Please promise me that you’ll at least try?”

“I promise,” Jared said.

“If for some reason things don’t work out, I want you to take this,” she pressed a slip of paper into his hand. “That’s a cell phone I bought, one of those disposable ones that doesn’t have my name attached to it. I’ll have it on me all the time, and if you need me, you call, day or night.”

“Gemma, you can’t do that. You could get in trouble-“

“Don’t you worry about that. I don’t know what I could do to help you, but I promise that if it comes to it I’ll do my best to get you out of there.”

Jared hugged her again, and she stood up, “Let’s get you packed.”  
++  
Packing didn’t take long. Jared’s bedroom hadn’t changed since he’d been pulled from school, and he’d put away the pictures of his friends and family, his trophies, and his ribbons when it had become too painful to look at them every day, knowing that he’d not be adding new ones.

He’d said a tearful goodbye to Gemma, and then sat on his bed, his suitcase and duffel at his feet, waiting. No one had told him when the car would be picking them up, and it didn’t take long for Jared to lay back and fall asleep.

He was woken by his mother, “Look at you, lazing around in bed all day. Get up! The car is here and we need to get going.”

Jared stood up, stretching his arms and yawning. 

“Look at you. Is that what you’re wearing?” his mother asked with disgust.

Jared glanced down. He had on the better of his two pair of jeans, and a plain, navy t-shirt that, while a little threadbare, was one of the better ones he owned. He was rarely given new clothes, and the clothes his mother had him wear when he was forced to dress up weren’t allowed to stay in his room (“You’ll just ruin them; you’re so clumsy Jared.”).  
“And look at your hair! Honestly, I can’t imagine what the Prince wants with you.” She stared at Jared with an expectant look, but he had no idea what he could do to make her happy, so he just stared back. Finally, she huffed out an annoyed breath and spun on her heel, “Well, come on. We certainly don’t want to be late and give Prince Jensen a reason to leave us stuck with you.”

Jared grabbed his bags and followed his mother down the stairs and outside, where a limo was waiting for them. The driver took Jared’s things while Jared joined his family in the car. They were all chattering excitedly, talking about what they were going to do at the palace, and how envious everyone was going to be of them after the wedding. “I mean, I know that he’s just an omega, but we’ll basically be becoming royalty as well,” Cole’s wife, Kristin said smugly. 

“Hey, Jared, I got you a present,” Cole said as he handed Jared a plain black box with a red bow on top. 

Jared hesitantly accepted the box, knowing that it probably wasn’t a gift that he’d want anything to do with. He held it in his lap, hoping that he wouldn’t be forced to open it in front of everyone, but as he glanced around he saw that they were all watching him.

“Don’t be rude, Jared,” his father scolded. “You’re brother was kind enough to get a gift for you, so you’d better open it and be grateful.”

Jared reluctantly lifted the lid and parted the tissue paper, and stared down in horror at a large, hot pink butt plug. He quickly put the lid back on as Cole howled with laughter.

“What is it? Jared, open that box back up and show us what your brother got you,” his mother demanded.

“Mom, I don’t think-“

“Don’t talk back to your mother, young man,” his father snapped.

Jared took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He would not cry in front of them. He pulled the plug out and held it up so that they could all see it.

Everyone but his mother laughed when they saw what it was. “What is that?” she asked, looking confused. Giselle leaned over and whispered in her mother’s ear.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Cole. Don’t be so crass,” Joyce admonished, but there was laughter in her voice as well.

“I was only thinking of Jared’s well being, mother. I figured he could use this before the ceremony, make sure he was all ready for the wedding night. I didn’t put any lube in there, because I figured that once you met your alpha you’d be wet enough-“

“Okay, okay, Cole. We all get the idea,” his father interrupted with a laugh. “Jared, aren’t you going to thank your brother for your gift? You wouldn’t want him to think that you didn’t appreciate his thoughtfulness, would you?”

Jared’s face was flaming, and he kept his eyes downcast, “Thank you, Cole.”

Everyone laughed some more, and by the time they were settling down, the limo was pulling up to the palace. Jared really hoped that Ty hadn’t been kidding about giving him a room far away from his family.  
++  
Jared and his family were met by Ty, and a woman who Ty introduced as Erica, an aide to the royal family. “Jared you’ll come with me and I’ll show you to your suite, and Erica,” Ty said turning toward the rest of the Padaleckis, “Will be showing you to your rooms.”

The driver sat Jared’s bags near Ty with a pointed look, “I’m going to need some help with everyone else’s luggage,” he said to Erica, who pulled out a phone to call for assistance.  
Ty glanced between the suitcase and backpack and Jared, “Is this all you brought with you, sir?”

Jared looked embarrassed and muttered, “yes,” while Giselle and Cole did their best to keep their laughter quiet. Ty seemed to understand what was going on, and he smiled widely at Jared, making sure to turn his back to rest of the family.

“That’s certainly not a problem, sir. Prince Jensen has already ordered an entire wardrobe full of new clothes for you, and he’s instructed me to get a list of anything you’d like or need and get them to you as soon as possible. Also, since this is your home, you’ll have access to just about every area of the palace, and so I can guarantee that you’ll not be bored.”

He then turned back to Jared’s family, “Since you’re just guests for the weekend, your access to the palace will obviously be limited. Security reasons, I’m sure you understand. Erica will show you to your rooms now, and I’ll send someone else to you soon with an itinerary and a map of the areas you’ll be allowed to visit.”

He turned back to Jared, effectively dismissing the Padaleckis, “Shall I show you around, sir?”

Jared smiled, and nodded, before reaching for his bags. Ty put a hand on Jared’s wrist to stop him. “No, Mr. Padalecki, there’s no need for you to carry your own luggage. One of your attendants will get them for you. If you’ll please follow me.”

Jared glanced at his family and couldn’t contain his grin when he saw the looks of shock and incredulity on their faces. He took a step forward to follow Ty, before turning around and tossing the black box to his brother. Cole wasn’t expecting it, and fumbled, causing the lid to come off and the plug to fall to the ground, rolling to a stop at his mother’s foot. “Sorry man, you forgot your box in the car, and I’m sure that you’ll want it for tonight,” Jared said with a smirk.

Ty, Erica, and the driver laughed, while Cole spluttered out something that Jared supposed meant that it wasn’t his. The rest of his family looked both scandalized and horrified. Jared turned to Ty, “I’m ready to see my room now.” He couldn’t believe that he’d done that, and he knew that he’d be replaying the scene over and over. It felt good to turn the tables a bit.  
++  
Jared had been to the palace twice before; once in second grade, and then again in seventh, both school field trips. They’d had the same tour both times, except in seventh grade they’d added the Royal Court’s Chamber, where much of the important governing of their country happened. 

Ty led Jared through the Great Hall, and stopped in front of a set of large, ornate doors. There was a guard posted at each side of the doorway. Ty introduced Jared to them, “This is the entrance to the residential portion of the palace from the Great Hall. There are other entrances of course, and you’ll probably use those more often.”

Ty led Jared through a maze of hallways and stairs, pointing out various rooms and common areas, and by the time they stopped in front of Jared’s door, Jared was thoroughly lost. Ty glanced at him, “Don’t worry; you’ll figure it out in no time.”

He opened the door to a huge and extravagant room. Large floor to ceiling windows flanked a set of French doors that led out onto a private balcony overlooking part of the palace’s extensive gardens. On the right wall was a four poster bed and a door. The left wall had a large, marble fireplace with deep, plush furniture in front of it. There were bookcases on the left of the fireplace, and an open door on the right, which led to the en suite. There was a flat-screen TV. over the fireplace, and a desk faced the book cases.

Ty led Jared to the en suite, which was more than Jared thought he’d ever need. Double vanity, extra large, jetted tub in front of another fireplace, steam shower large enough to fit a basketball team. A door next to the shower led to a walk-in closet that was as large as Jared’s bedroom back at his parent’s house. It was full of clothes and shoes. 

“Who do all of these belong to?” Jared asked as they stepped back into the main room and sat down facing the fireplace.

“You. Prince Jensen ordered his tailor to not only put together some formal wear, but he also had him buy you an entirely new wardrobe. Anything you don’t like, or that doesn’t fit, just let Matt know and we’ll get it taken care of.”

Jared just sat and stared at Ty. This was all too much to comprehend. He cleared his throat, his moment of exhilaration over besting his brother gone and replaced with nerves, “You…you do realize that I’m an omega, right?”

Ty sighed, and gave Jared a sad smile, “Yes, I’m very well aware of that fact.”

“It’s just…I’m confused. I get that the Prince wants someone to give him an heir, and an omega is the best way he can have that, and still not be tied down, but all of this?” Jared said, giving a vague gesture around the room. “You, being so nice to me, and the clothes. Hell, even the guards at the main doors were polite and respectful. And I don’t mean to question you, or seem ungrateful; I know that’s not my place. It’s just so…confusing.”

Ty leaned back in his chair and studied Jared for a few moments before he spoke. “I’m going to leave that ‘give him an heir and not be tied down’ bit to the Prince to address. As for the rest? There are a couple of different answers.”

“First, you are Prince Jensen’s attended, and that automatically affords you a certain amount of respect, omega or not. The Prince is very well liked, and most people around here just want to see him happy.”

“Secondly, and I think this is going to be difficult for you, but things are changing. There are a growing number of citizens in the realm who are finally coming to realize that omegas are just as smart and capable as anyone else.”

Jared scoffed at that.

“From what I’ve heard and seen firsthand of your family, I can understand your disbelief. And don’t get me wrong; you couldn’t step out the front gates of the palace and expect to be treated the same as an alpha or beta. Hell, you couldn’t even step out those gates on your own, but you can rest assured that while you’re here, in your home, you’ll be treated with respect and courtesy.”

“But-“

“Things are changing, Jared. Am I correct in assuming that your family didn’t allow you access to any type of media?” At Jared’s nod, he continued, “There’s a growing movement for omega emancipation. A movement that the King is quietly but surely backing. There’s still a long way to go, and a lot of people to convince, but it is happening.”

Jared rubbed his temples. It had been a very long, very strange day so far. He was tired, and his head was starting to pound. He wanted to believe Gemma and Ty, but considering that he was sitting in the palace, about to be purchased by the Prince, he was having a very difficult time believing any of it.

Ty stood and placed his hand on Jared’s shoulder, “You look beat, kid. I’ll send Matt in with some aspirin. You get a couple of hours of shut eye, and he’ll come back with your itinerary and something to eat.”

“Who’s Matt?”

“He’s going to be your assistant.”

Jared just shook his head. He was going to have his own assistant? It was all just too much.

Ty excused himself, and Jared crossed the room to look out the window. It was a gorgeous view, and Jared really hoped that he’d be allowed to spend time in the gardens. A soft knock brought him out of his musings, and a short, slim guy with blonde hair and a wide grin stepped in.

“Hi, I’m Matt, and you must be Jared,” he said as he crossed the room and took Jared’s hand in a firm grip.

“You’re an omega!” Jared blurted, then slapped his hand across his mouth, looking embarrassed.

Thankfully, Matt just laughed, “Yep, I certainly am. My alpha is one of the royal chefs, and I’ve been working at the palace since he decided that he was sick of coming home and listing to me whine because I was bored.”

Jared’s eyes practically bugged out of his head, “Your alpha lets you have a job?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes sir, and he even lets me choose the radio station on our drive in,” he said with a wink. Jared just stood staring, dumbfounded and speechless. It was like he’d fallen down a rabbit hole.

“Anyway, Ty said you had a headache, so I brought you these,” Matt said as he dropped two capsules into Jared’s palm and handed him a bottle of water. “Take these and lay down for a bit. We have a lot to go over before tomorrow morning, so I’ll be back in a couple of hours with dinner and we can get started. Would you like me to turn down your bed or close the drapes?”

“Uh, no. I can do that myself,” Jared said weakly.

“Okay, then I’ll see you in a bit.”

Jared swallowed down the pills and fell into the bed. His mind was racing, but exhaustion soon overcame him and he was sound asleep.  
++  
Jared woke disoriented, the remnants of a dream clinging to his mind, hazy, but distinctly uncomfortable. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, before taking a long drink from the bottle of water he’d left on the nightstand. He started thinking back on the day, from packing, to the humiliating limo ride, to his slight rebellion against his brother. He couldn’t believe he’d done that, and his heartbeat sped up as he thought of the retribution he’d face for that small act. There was no way his brother would let something like that slide.

He was just starting to really work himself up over it when Matt knocked and entered, a tray of food in his hands. “You’re up! I hope you’re hungry,” Matt said with a smile.  
He sat the tray down on the table in front of the fireplace, and pulled a sheaf of papers from under his arm. “You can eat while I go over your schedule.”

Jared joined him and slowly started to eat. He wasn’t very hungry, but it gave him something to do with his hands.

“Tomorrow your family and the royal family will officially meet. The Court and the media will be there, and while it is formal, it won’t take long, and there isn’t a lot of ceremony to it. Your mother and father will present you to the King, Queen, and Prince Jensen. Your father will be asked if he consents to your marriage to the Prince, and then the Prince will give his consent to the marriage as well. Then your family will be introduced to the rest of the royal family, and you’ll pose for a few pictures.”

Matt paused and looked at Jared, studying him before he spoke, “I know what you’re thinking. My wedding was nothing like yours is going to be, but we did have the official meeting of families. I felt like I was just a commodity being sold to the highest bidder, no say in the matter, no thought given to my feelings.”

Jared nodded. That was exactly how he felt.

“Luckily for me, my husband didn’t see me that way. Doesn’t see me that way, and I know that Prince Jensen won’t see you that way either. Still, you’re not wrong. You are being sold, and you don’t have a say in the matter. The press will be there, and the Court, and while some of them are moving from the old ways, some of them still need to see the light. The introductions will be quick, but you’ll have no say in the matter, and at the end of it you’ll probably feel like a show dog, paraded, inspected, and judged.”

Jared dropped his sandwich onto his plate and set it back on the tray. He couldn’t even pretend to eat. He clenched his jaw, angry tears once again threatening. 

“But, Jared please look at me,” Matt asked. Jared turned and met Matt’s eyes. “You don’t know me, or Prince Jensen, or Ty, or anyone here. There’s no reason for you to believe me or to trust me, I get that, but I’m telling you the truth. Prince Jensen is going to see you and treat you as a person, even if there are certain times that you’ll have to be the typical alpha/omega pair in public.”

Jared didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. Matt was right, he didn’t know anyone, and though Ty and Matt both seemed kind and sincere, so had Jared’s family once upon a time.

“Anyway after the pictures the press will leave and there’ll be a short reception with the Court, followed by dinner with both families.”

“Wonderful,” Jared muttered.

“Saturday morning will be the wedding ceremony. The ceremony itself is actually pretty simple, though it is very formal. After that the King will introduce you to the people, which is a break in tradition. Normally, an omega marrying into the royal family wouldn’t be introduced. In fact, you’ll be the first.”

“Why?”

“Like I said, things are changing. After that you’ll have a few hours before the reception that evening. Do you have any questions?”

“No?”

Matt laughed, “It’s a lot to take in. Ty also wanted me to give you a tour, but I think that maybe that should wait, unless there’s somewhere specific you’d like to go.”

“Uh, no. I doubt I’d remember anything right now.”

“That’s what I thought. But, is there anything you need or want?”

“I don’t…like what?”

“Books, movies, computer, anything, really.”

Jared shook his head, as he looked around the room. He hadn’t even thought to turn on the TV., it had been so long since he’d been allowed to watch. “I can watch TV.?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Huh. And where does that door go?” Jared asked, motioning toward a door to the right of the bed. It was the only thing in the room that neither Ty nor Matt had pointed out, and when Jared had tried to open it earlier he’d found it locked.

“Prince Jensen’s rooms,” Matt said as he got up and crossed to it, making sure that it was unlocked from Jared’s side, then returning to his chair with a mischievous grin.

“Officially, you and the Prince are not supposed to meet before the introduction tomorrow. In fact, the Queen is trying to get the Prince to sleep in another room to resist the temptation of sneaking in here during the night.”

Jared sucked in a sharp breath, looking alarmed. “Will he…is he…?”

“Oh, Jared, no. If he does manage to sneak past his mother it would only be to introduce himself, nothing more. I promise.”

Jared let out a whoosh of breath, “You’re sure? I mean, I know that he can do whatever he wants and I can’t say no-“

Matt cut him off, “I promise you, it would just be an introduction. In fact, if you want I can lock the door from this side again. I guarantee you that if he finds that door locked he won’t be angry.”

Jared stared at the door. “How about this?” Matt suggested. “You think about it, and if you want to lock it before you go to bed, just do it.”

“Okay, yeah. That’ll work.”

“Anything else? Would you like to visit your family, maybe have breakfast with them in the morning?”

“No! I mean, I’d really rather not if I don’t have to.”

“You absolutely don’t have to.”

“Do…do they know where this room is?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Could they find out?” Jared asked with a waver in his voice.

“I suppose – Jared are you afraid of them?”

“I just…my brother, Cole. He-“

“You don’t need to explain. I’m going to talk to Ty as soon as I leave here, and we’ll make sure that no one in your family is allowed in. I’ll also make sure that you’re not alone with them during the next couple of days, before they leave.”

“Really?”

“Really. We’ll be discreet, so try not to worry about them, okay?”

Jared nodded, looking grateful. 

“Alright, you try to get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jared sat in the chair for a long time after Matt left, trying to sort out his feelings, but it was all too much. A knock at the door pulled him from his musings, causing a spark of panic to ignite in his chest. Before he could get too worked up, the door opened and a stocky man with a buzz cut entered.

“Good evening, Mr. Padalecki. My name is Andrew. I’m part of the palace security team, and I’ll be stationed outside your door all night. It’s my understanding that you don’t want any visitors, is that correct, sir?”

Jared nodded dumbly. It was so strange to be addressed as ‘Mr. Padalecki’ and ‘sir.’

“Right. You just relax and enjoy your evening; no one will be disturbing you.” Before Jared could think of a reply, Andrew was gone, the door shutting quietly behind him. Jared stared at the door for a moment, letting relief wash through him, before he turned to look at the other door, debating about relocking it. In the end, he left it and climbed into bed.  
++  
Jared was still wide awake two hours later when a soft knock sounded from the door leading to Prince Jensen’s rooms. Jared sat straight up, his heart beating so hard that he could see his t-shirt moving. The knock sounded again, a little louder this time, and Jared scrambled from under the covers, putting the bed between himself and the door. The door that was slowly opening.

Jared’s room was dark, but not so dark that he couldn’t see. Moonlight streamed in through the windows and doors, casting everything in a soft, blue glow.

“Jared?” a deep voice asked quietly.

Jared tried to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat to try again, as the door opened all the way and a man stepped through.

“Jared?” he asked again.

“Y-yes, sir,” Jared stuttered out.

The man glanced around the room, a wide smile breaking over his face, causing crinkles at the corners of his eyes. “Hi! I know I’m not supposed to be in here, but I just couldn’t wait. I’m Jensen,” he said as he walked around the bed toward Jared, who took a step back.

Jensen’s smile faltered, “Jared?”

Jared took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He was not going to appear weak in front of the man who had bought him. He forced himself forward until he was standing just a few feet in front of the Prince. “It-it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” he managed to get out.

At that the smile disappeared entirely from Jensen’s face, replaced with a look of resignation. “You don’t have to call me sir, Jared,” he said softly. “When it’s just the two of us it can be Jensen, and when we’re in public it can be Prince Jensen, okay?”

Jared nodded mutely. 

“Can we try this again?” Jensen asked, and when Jared inclined his head in agreement, Jensen stuck out his hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Jared.”

Jared cautiously shook Jensen’s hand, “Y-you, too, J-Jensen.”

“Would you mind if we sat for a moment?” Jensen asked, indicating the chairs across the room.

Jared nodded again and took a seat.

“Like I said, I know that I’m not supposed to be in here, but it just didn’t seem right for our first meeting to be so…public.” At Jared’s silence he continued, “Is your room acceptable? I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I told Matt to get you whatever you wanted. And Ty said that he told you that we can return any of the clothes that you don’t like. Did Matt give you a tour? Oh, no, wait, he said that he didn’t. It’s good that you waited, because this place can be confusing, and I’d rather give you a tour myself, after things have settled down. But if you want to go somewhere then just let someone know. We have a library, and a pool, and…”

Jensen rambled on, and Jared was struck with the realization that he was nervous. The Prince was nervous about meeting him, and the thought helped him to relax a bit.

“I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Jensen asked with a rueful grin. “Sorry. I do that when I get nervous.”

“That’s okay,” Jared said softly, trying his best not to be charmed. This guy might seem nice, but it didn’t change the fact that he was buying Jared, and forcing him into a marriage without his consent. Still, he needed to at least be polite; it wouldn’t be a good idea to make the guy angry.

“So, do you need anything?”

“No, thank you.”

“Okay, good. That’s…good. Do you have any questions about tomorrow or Saturday? Matt said he went through everything, but I know it’s a lot to remember.”

“No. He did a very good job at explaining things clearly.”

Jensen rubbed the back of his neck, “Okay, so I guess that I’ll just be going then. I’ll be right next door if you need anything. You don’t even have to knock, okay?”

“Thank you,” Jared said standing when the Prince did.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. It was really nice to meet you, Jared,” the Prince said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

Jared climbed back into bed. Jensen was certainly handsome, and he’d seemed so nice. His thoughts bounced between wanting to like the Prince because he’d been so adorably nervous and hadn’t pushed himself on Jared or been the least bit demanding, to wanting to hate him because he was the alpha who would soon be Jared’s owner and in effect, his jailer. It was another long, sleepless night.  
++  
Jared trailed behind Ty as he led him to a small antechamber adjacent to the palace media room.

“Your family will be here shortly, but I won’t be leaving your side until you all head next door.”

Jared gave him a grateful smile.

“The court will be seated in a semi-circle on a raised dais, with the King, Queen, and Prince in the center. The rest of the royal family will be seated in the first row on the right facing the dais, and your family will be seated on the left. The media will be behind you. You should always be to your father’s left, so when he stands, you stand and follow him, okay?” Jared nodded. “And Prince Jensen asked me to remind you that this introduction will be your first meeting. He’d said he’d rather not have to listen to a lecture about tradition from his mother were she to find out that you’d already met.” Ty grinned, and Jared tried to return it, but he was afraid it came out as more of a grimace. 

The door opened and as Jared’s family was shown in he took a step closer to Ty. His mother crossed to him, and pretended to give him a kiss on the cheek, before attempting to smooth down his hair.

“Honestly Jared, this is one of the most important moments of our lives; couldn’t you at least have brushed your hair?” She stood back and surveyed her work, “Well, that’ll just have to be good enough.”

“Mom, it’s not his hair that the Prince is interested in,” Cole laughed, and Jared flushed.

“Did you folks sleep well?” Ty cut in.

Giselle looked him up and down, “Yes, though I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a bed that big all alone,” she said with a look that Jared assumed was supposed to be seductive but really just looked constipated.

Ty cleared his throat and glanced at his watch, “It’s time to head in. Mr. and Mrs. Padalecki if you’d please step in front? Then Jared, sir, you’re right behind them, with you three behind Jared. This will be the order in which you need to sit when you get inside. Any last minute questions? Okay, when I open the door go on in and take your seats.”

Jared’s father turned to him, “Don’t embarrass us, boy. Keep your mouth shut, and your eyes on the floor.” Without even waiting for a response he turned back to the front. Not to be outdone, Cole leaned forward and started to say something, but was thankfully cut off as Ty opened the doors.

Jared followed his parents inside, trying to ignore the flashes of the cameras. He was going to take his father’s advice and keep his eyes down. He didn’t want to be an embarrassment, and if he didn’t look around, maybe he could pretend that he wasn’t about to be sold as a public spectacle. 

As soon as they were seated a page stepped forward and introduced the King, “Please rise for His Royal Highness, King Robert of Ackland.” Everyone stood until the King motioned for them to take their seats.

“Thank you all for coming to help us honor the impending marriage of my son, Prince Jensen. The Queen and I look forward to celebrating with you all.”

“Would the Padalecki family please step forward?” Jared’s family rose and stood before the King. The same page who had introduced the King stepped forward, “King Robert, I present to you Mr. Charles Padalecki.” 

Jared’s father took a small step forward and gave a short bow, “It is a pleasure to meet you, King Robert. I would like to introduce to you my wife, Joyce; our son, Cole, and his wife, Jessica; and our daughter, Giselle.” As they were introduced, each stepped forward and gave a small bow. “And this is the omega, Jared.” Jared nodded his head a bit, but didn’t look up.

“And is it your intention to allow the acquisition of this omega by my son, Prince Jensen?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And will you, with full disclosure, present him to Prince Jensen at the matrimonial ceremony tomorrow, in exchange for the agreed upon dowry?” 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Charles replied, and Jared could hear the giddiness in his voice.

The King turned to Jensen, who stepped forward. “Jensen, is this the omega with whom you wish to be wed?”

“Yes, father. Jared is who I wish to wed.”

Jared and his family took their seats, “As Ruler of Ackland, it is my pleasure to announce the Royal acceptance of this intended bond. Thank you once again for coming to witness such an exciting event.”

After that the press was dismissed, as was the Court, and the Padaleckis and Prince Jensen’s family were taken to a small room for pictures. One wall was covered with the Royal Crest, and the photographer arranged the families in front of it before snapping a few pictures. Then there were different combinations of the families: Jared with the Queen, King, and Prince; Jared and the Prince with the King and Queen and Jared’s parents, and on and on. He faced the camera for each picture, but before the flash went off, he always dropped his eyes. The photographer was efficient, and though it had seemed like hours, it was over quite quickly, and there had been no time for small talk. Jensen had tried to get Jared’s attention a couple of times, but Jared pretended not to notice.

After the final picture had been taken, Jared’s father pulled him aside. “You’ve done well so far, and you’d better keep it up. We’re about to meet the Court, where I’m hoping to make some important connections for your brother and sister. Stay behind me, keep your eyes down, and don’t say a word, do you understand?”

Jared nodded. “Good. It’s not like anyone is really going to be interested in talking to you, anyway,” he said dismissively.

Both families were ushered into a banquet room, where each Court member was introduced. Hors d’oevures and drinks were brought in, and everyone began to mingle. Jared stayed a step behind and to the left of his father, who thankfully stayed in one place and let people come to him. A couple of members of the Court attempted to ask Jared questions, but Charles effortlessly cut in and answered himself.

Jared found the whole thing incredibly boring, and soon tuned everyone out. Instead, he studied the shoes of the people who spoke with his father, and tried to guess what each person might look like. He was lost in thought, wondering how women could balance on such incredibly high heels, when his father roughly grabbed his elbow, and hissed his name.

Jared looked up, surprised to see the Queen and Prince Jensen standing before him. Each gave him a warm smile, but when Jared glanced at his father and saw the murderous expression on his face, he quickly dropped his eyes again. “I-I apologize; I was lost in thought.”

“No need to apologize, dear. I’ve been to enough of these receptions to know that they can be insufferably boring,” the Queen said, which caused Jared to smile a bit. “I was just asking about your hobbies.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Your Highness,” Charles answered. “Jared is easily entertained; you know how omegas are. He certainly won’t be doing anything to get in your way.”

“No, I don’t think I do know how omegas are, Mr. Padalecki, and I’m sure that Jared won’t be in anyone’s way,” the Queen replied coolly.

Jared’s head snapped up and his eyes widened, and as he looked from the stern face of the Queen, to the amused face of the Prince, to the shocked and embarrassed face of his father, he couldn’t stop the quiet burst of laughter from bubbling up. His father turned to him, his face red, and the vein on his forehead starting to bulge, the one that meant Jared was really about to get it, “Jared, mind your manners,” he seethed, before turning back to the Queen and making an obvious attempt to get his temper under control. “I certainly didn’t mean any disrespect, ma’am.”

“No, I’m sure you didn’t, Mr. Padalecki,” she replied before turning fully to Jensen. “Why don’t you and Jared take a walk through the gardens? I’m sure you’d like a chance to get to know each other a little better, especially considering that this is the first time you’ve met,” she said pointedly.

Jensen gave her a sheepish look; he wasn’t surprised that she knew that he’d snuck into Jared’s room the night before. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, mother. I’m sure Ty and Matt would be happy to escort us.” 

Jared took the arm Jensen offered, and as he and Jensen stepped away, the Queen turned to find her husband, effectively dismissing Jared’s father without a word goodbye.  
++  
Jensen led Jared outside, Ty and Matt following a few paces behind. The banquet room they’d been in opened onto a marble terrace with steps leading down to a hexagonal shaped rose garden, with an ornate fountain in the middle. As soon as they stepped into the garden Jared dropped Jensen’s arm, and crossed to sit at a bench beyond the fountain that was facing the palace. Jensen hesitated before joining him. Ty and Matt took another bench and began talking quietly.

“Why-“ Jared started to ask before cutting himself off, murmuring “Sorry,” under his breath.

“Why what, Jared? You don’t need to ask permission to speak to me,” Jensen said gently. “Or to look me in the eye, either.”

Jared raised his eyes to Jensen’s and absently noted that they were a deep green, with small flecks of gold glinting in the setting sun. He shook his head a little, “Why would the Queen defend me like that?”

“You’re the man I’m choosing to marry, her future son-in-law. Why wouldn’t she speak up for you?”

Jared gave a bitter laugh, “I’m the omega her son is purchasing. I have no more value than anything else you’ve bought.”

“It’s true, I am purchasing you, but after meeting your family I think it would be better to look at it as buying your freedom, not the other way around. But you’re wrong. There is nothing more valuable to me in all of the world.”

Jared thought that over. He didn’t trust it, but from what he’d seen so far the Prince might just be right about buying his freedom. Sure, he’d be a prisoner at the palace, but at least he was allowed to have some creature comforts; at least for now.

“So, uh, my mom was asking about your hobbies. Do you have any?”

“No.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Is there nothing that you enjoy doing?”

“I don’t know. After we realized that I wasn’t an alpha, or even a beta, and therefore a huge disappointment and embarrassment to my family, I wasn’t really allowed to do much of anything, and most of my things were taken away from me.”

“Our cook, Gemma, she was with us for my whole life, and she was the only one who treated me the same after. I was alone most of the time, and so I’d pester her. One day she got tired of tripping over me, so she took me outside to a bare corner of the yard and told me to plant a garden. I didn’t really know where to start, so she showed me how to break up the ground and prepare it for planting.”

“The next day she brought me a stack of gardening books, and helped me make a plan. My parents were furious when they found me out there, covered in mud and digging in the dirt. I’m not sure what Gemma said to them, but it was the one thing that I was allowed to do all on my own.”

“I grew vegetables and herbs, and Gemma used them in her cooking. After my first harvest, she showed me how to freeze and can the excess to use over the winter. After that, she taught me to cook, though we were careful never to let my parents know about it. They had no idea that some of the meals they praised Gemma for were actually made by their worthless omega.”

Jared stopped, and looked at Jensen, who was studying him with a sad smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on about that.”

“No,” Jensen said. “Please don’t be sorry. I want to learn all there is to know about you.”

They watched the fountain for a few minutes, before Jensen asked, “So did you enjoy it?”

“Enjoy what?”

“The gardening and the cooking. Did you enjoy it because you actually found pleasure in doing it, or was it simply that it was the only thing available to you?”

“I’m…not sure. I’ve never thought about it that way. Maybe in the beginning it was just a way to pass the time, but I think that I liked it. I mean, I would do it again if I was given the chance.”

Jensen swept his hand through the air, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that we have a lot of gardens here, and we have some of the best gardeners in the country working for us. I don’t think that we have a vegetable garden though. Maybe you’d like to establish one? I mean,” Jensen hastened to add, “if you wanted. You certainly wouldn’t have to.”

“That might be nice,” Jared said quietly, wondering where the catch was.

Jensen grinned like Jared had given him a present, “Great! That’s great. Maybe you could teach me.”

Jared looked at him incredulously, “You’d want to work in a garden with an omega?”

“No, I’d want to share with my husband something that he enjoys doing.”

“Oh.”

A page approached and informed them that the Court was leaving and it was time for the families to have dinner together. Jared followed Jensen into an ornate dining room, and when Jensen was pulled away for a moment to answer a question, Jared’s father took the opportunity to accost him.

“I don’t appreciate that stunt you pulled on me in front of the Queen.”

“But dad, I-“

“Don’t interrupt me! I told you to keep your mouth shut and your eyes down and I meant it. I don’t want to hear one word from you for the rest of the night. Now, get over to the table. You’ll be sitting between me and your brother so that we can keep an eye on you.”

Jared followed his father to the table and took his seat, knowing that the next couple of hours were going to be miserable. His father and brother took their seats, and Cole wasted no time in starting his torment.

“How is it possible for you to fuck up an order as simple as keeping quiet? You’re so fucking stupid, Jared.”

The noise was dying down as everyone else began to take their seats when Jared felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and cautiously looked up to see Jensen. “I’d like you to sit with me for dinner, Jared.”

Jared glanced at his father, not sure what to do.

“Prince Jensen, you don’t need to bother yourself with Jared. His brother and I can make sure that he’s well taken care of and doesn’t cause any problems,” his father said.

Jensen acted as though Charles hadn’t even spoken, looking at Jared and asking, “Please?”

Jared didn’t hesitate again, but stood and took the seat indicated between Jensen and Jensen’s older brother, Patrick. He risked a quick glance at his family at the opposite end of the table, and found that they were all staring at him and the Prince with a mixture of shock and confusion.

Prince Patrick introduced himself, and proceeded to tell Jared as many embarrassing stories about Jensen as he could think of. Jared was surprised to be enjoying himself, and for the first time since he’d felt that spark of hope ignite in his chest when he’d read Jensen’s letter, he let it grow just a little bit.  
++  
Ty and Matt escorted Jared back to his room after dinner, and while Matt fixed Jared a bath (while totally ignoring Jared’s protestations), Ty reviewed the following day’s schedule. There wasn’t much that Jared needed to remember. Before the wedding he was to follow his father, and after his husband. He wouldn’t be asked anything, and he wouldn’t be allowed to say anything, either. When they both left and Jared sank into the hot water in the huge tub, he tried to forget his anxiety and clear his mind as best he could.

Tomorrow was to be his wedding day, whether he liked it or not, and while he was glad to be getting away from his family, he wasn’t about to fool himself into believing that his marriage would change much more than the scenery. He’d still be nothing more than a glorified pet. Free to be out only when on a leash, and locked up in a cage, albeit a large one, the rest of the time.

There was a little voice in the back of his head though, one that sounded a lot like Gemma, that kept reminding him of the kindness that the Royal family had shown in just the short time that he’d known them. Almost everyone had treated him with kindness and respect, in fact Prince Jensen and the Queen had both stood up for him. There had been a couple of members of the Court who hadn’t been welcoming, but even if things were changing as Gemma, Ty, Matt, and Prince Jensen had tried to tell him, he knew that there would still be plenty of citizens who wouldn’t take kindly to an omega pretending to be their equal.

He climbed out of the tub and dressed in soft cotton pants and a sleep shirt. It had been a long time since he’d had clothes that were both comfortable and fit him properly. His mother was constantly complaining about how tall he was (“You can’t even be a proper omega Jared, always growing and being so gangly. You’ll never attract an alpha.”) and how much he kept growing. Jared had already been self-conscious about his body. He’d been fairly short for his age until he’d hit a growth spurt just before his sixteenth birthday that hadn’t seemed to end. He was taller than his father, and almost as tall as his brother, but where they were broad, he was overly thin, all hands and feet, and clumsy to go along with it. Gemma had told him to give it time, that when he was done growing he’d put both his father and brother to shame.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the door connecting his room to the Prince’s, and remembered the promise that he’d made to Gemma: that he’d try to let the Prince in and give him a chance. He slowly walked to the door and turned the lock. He wasn’t going to open it, but if the Prince wanted to come in, Jared wouldn’t stop him.

He pushed the button to start the fire, and sat staring into the flames, trying to image what it would be like to actually live in the Palace, and it wasn’t long before a soft knock sounded, and Prince Jensen poked his head around the door. “Jared? Do you mind if I come in?”

Jared stood, “No, not at all, sir.”

“What did I tell you about that sir business? It’s just Jensen when we’re alone together, okay?”

Jared nodded. He’d realized earlier that Jensen was handsome, but here, in his worn sleep pants and stretched out t-shirt, he was beautiful. Jared couldn’t figure out what Jensen could see in him, but when he met the Prince’s eyes, he couldn’t mistake the hunger he saw in them, and he was shocked to find that while he was nervous about it, thinking about being intimate with the Prince wasn’t as terrifying as it had seemed even the day before. A loud knock sounded from Jared’s door, breaking the moment.

“That must be Ty,” Jensen said crossing to open the door, “I had him get a surprise, and told him if I wasn’t in my room to bring it over here.” Jensen opened the door and his grin turned from excited to rueful as the Queen entered. Ty was behind her, and he mouthed what seemed to be a very insincere ‘sorry’ to Jensen as he sat a tray on the table in front of the fireplace and then made a hasty exit.

Jared felt his face flush as he tried to hide as much of himself behind his chair as he could. Certainly he shouldn’t be in his pajamas when the Queen was in his room, especially considering that she’d yet to change after dinner.

“Oh, Jared, dear, don’t look so nervous. I’m not here to scold you, I’m here to scold my son.”

“Mooom,” Jensen said, and Jared couldn’t hold back his grin. Jensen sounded more like a petulant child than a Prince. “I’m twenty two years old, and I just wanted to say goodnight to my almost husband.”

“With wine and chocolates?” she asked “If I remember correctly, you were conceived on an evening when your father wanted to ‘say goodnight’ with wine and chocolates.”

Jensen groaned and dropped his head in his hands, and the Queen turned back to Jared. “I actually did just want to say goodnight to you, Jared. I know that this can’t be easy for you, but you’ve handled yourself brilliantly, and I can’t wait for you to become a part of our family officially.”

“Th-thank you, Your Highness,” Jared stammered. 

“Oh, none of that. When it’s just us, you feel free to call me Mallory, or even Mom when you feel comfortable.”

“Now, I’m heading to bed to take off these ridiculous shoes and to demand a foot rub from the King. You boys behave yourselves, and don’t stay up too late.” She gave Jared a quick peck on the cheek, and then pulled Jensen in for a hug before leaving.

“So, um, that’s my Mom,” Jensen said awkwardly, and Jared grinned. “I swear I wasn’t trying to do anything, I just asked Ty to bring up some wine and dessert.”

“Well, let’s see what he brought,” Jared said as he sat down in front of the fire and looked at the tray. Jensen practically tripped over himself as he took the seat next to Jared.

Jensen handed Jared a plate that had chocolate covered strawberries, two different tarts, an éclair, and a thin slice of chocolate cake. “Do you even like wine?” Jensen asked him.

“I don’t know. I’ve never had it.”

“Okay, well he brought up a dessert wine, so it should be very sweet. But just say so if you don’t like it and I’ll get you something else.” He handed Jared a glass and Jared took a tentative sip, and then another larger one, and then another, making Jensen laugh.

“You’d better slow down; my mother would kill me if you were hung over in the morning.”

They both ate and drank in silence for a few moments, before Jensen sat his plate down and turned fully to Jared. “There are a couple of things that I wanted to discuss with you before tomorrow, if you’re not too tired.”

Jared sat his things down as well, and nodded for Jensen to go on.

“Okay, I just…this is so awkward. I wanted to tell you that I don’t expect anything from you tomorrow night.”

Jared looked at him blankly, before it dawned on him what Jensen was saying, or at least what he thought Jensen was saying. “You…you don’t?”

“No! No. I know that you’re not here by choice. I know that it’s unfair that my Uncle Michael told me so much about you that I feel as though I know you at least a little, and you know next to nothing about me, but I really believe that we could be good together,” and Jensen looked so earnest that Jared couldn’t help but believe him a little bit.

“I don’t want you to resent me, Jared, and I know that given our situation that is a very real possibility. If we have a physical aspect to our relationship, I want it to be because it’s something that we both want. I know I’m forcing you into marriage, but I won’t force you into that as well.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay. Did you start taking the suppressors I sent over? I thought that might make you feel a bit more comfortable, should we decide to have an intimate relationship; you won’t have to worry about a baby. I thought it might take the pressure off. Someday if you want to have a baby with me…well, we can talk about that later.”

“Suppressors?”

“Yes, I had a prescription for omega birth control sent over to your house right after you met with the royal physician a couple of weeks ago. It’s just a pill that you’d take each morning with breakfast. Considering that you were so close to eighteen, I was surprised to find that you weren’t already on something.”

“I haven’t been taking any pills. No one said anything to me. I asked my Dad about them about six months ago, but he told me that if I wanted to bring him a good price that I’d need to stay fertile so that an alpha could get me pregnant as soon as he wanted.”

“Damn it!” Jensen said as he agitatedly ran his hand through his hair. “I should have made it clear-“

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do something wrong.”

“No, no you have nothing to be sorry about. It’s just hard for me to understand your family. But, no matter. I’ll talk to Ty and have him take care of it. It only takes a few days for them to start working.” Jensen looked at Jared hesitantly, “Unless you don’t think you’ll need them?”

“I’m not ready to have a baby,” Jared said quietly, hardly able to believe that he was being given the choice.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that. I’m not ready for a baby, either, I meant…” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable, and Jared was having a difficult time not being charmed.

“Ty can bring me some. I-I think that would be okay.”

“Yeah?”

Jared nodded, “I mean, I’m not sure when I’ll be, you know,” he said, making a vague gesture with his hand that he hoped somehow conveyed ‘when I’ll be ready to lose my virginity to a Prince who bought me’, “it’s best to be prepared.”

Jensen grinned, “Okay. Okay, good.” They smiled stupidly at each other for a moment, before Jensen cleared his throat, “There’s one more thing.”

Jared nodded for him to continue.

“Your family is full of assholes.”

Jensen’s bluntness shocked a laugh out of Jared, which made Jensen grin, “I like to make you laugh,” he said quietly, before continuing. “My Uncle Michael really didn’t talk to me much about your family, just the basics; he mostly just talked about you.”

“So, for the last couple of years I’ve been putting together a picture of you, of what I thought you’d be like.”

“And was that picture accurate?”

Jensen smiled so wide that the crinkles around his eyes appeared, and Jared just gave in for the moment and let himself feel charmed.

“Not nearly as good as the real thing,” Jensen said, making Jared blush. “Except for your family. I knew that they were conservative, following the oldest of the omega traditions, but I didn’t expect them in any way to be so cruel.”

“How much do you know about the omega offering process?"

“Nothing specific, really. Just that my parents would sell me to the highest bidder.”

“Legally, that’s all there is to it. An omega is listed with the Omega Agency, and an alpha makes a monetary offer which is either accepted, rejected, or countered. Beyond that though, there are usually other gifts that are give to the family in exchange for the omega.”

That made sense to Jared. He’d overheard his family talking about how lucky they’d been that he’d be going to the Prince, because they’d be sure to get more than they’d ever dreamed of. Jared had assumed they’d meant money, but he supposed that it made sense that other types of compensation would be offered.

“I told you that I’d put in a request with the Agency to let me know as soon as you were listed. At the same time I had my uncle tell me a bit about your family, and I started to put together a whole package.”

“Like what?”

“Well, for example, I knew that your brother and sister had student debt, and I was making arrangements to pay that off. When I found out that your brother had gotten married and bought a small, starter house, I had Ty start looking into real estate so that I could buy them a larger house more suitable for starting a family. There was a piece of family jewelry that I’d had set aside to give to your mother. There was quite a bit more, but you get the idea.”

Jared’s eyes were practically bugging out of his head, “You were going to do all that just to get me to marry you?”

“I felt it was the least I could do, if they were willing to allow me the honor of making you my husband.”

Jared just stared at him, unable to process what Jensen was saying.

“You know, I was even having one of the palace historians looking into if there was a way I could make your father an Earl or something.”

“But now?”

“Now? I was wondering, is there anyone else, anyone who was kind to you? Who treated you the way you deserve to be treated?”

Jared didn’t even hesitate, “Gemma. She was our cook, and our nanny when we were little. When my family found out that I was an omega and started to treat me differently, she was the only one who didn’t change. In fact, she quit as soon as I left to come here. She said that she’d only stayed with my family to try to make things better for me.”

“How do you think she’d feel about being called Duchess?”

Jared grinned, “I’m sure that she’d say that it’s unnecessary, but secretly she’d love it. She moved to be with her daughter and her family.”

“Do you know how to get in touch with her?”

Jared didn’t even think twice before going into his closet and taking the slip of paper that Gemma had given him with her phone number on it out of the side pocket of his bag.  
He handed it to Jensen, “She gave me this before she left. It’s one of those prepaid phone things. She told me to call her if I needed to be rescued.”

“And you don’t?”

“No, I don’t think that I do.”  
++  
Matt brought Jared’s breakfast the next morning, along with his pressed tux, and news that the pre-wedding omega-offering meeting had been pushed back by an hour, so there would be no break between that and the wedding ceremony.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, I don’t think so. I heard something about a guest arriving late, but I’m not sure.”

Jared ate breakfast, and Matt helped him get ready. “Prince Jensen asked that we not go to the omega-offering meeting until the last moment; he said he didn’t want you to have to be alone with your family any longer than strictly necessary.”

“You mean you’re not going in with me?”

“No, I’m sorry, neither Ty nor I will be allowed at the meeting. It’ll be held in a small conference room, and you’ll have to sit with your family. But, Prince Jensen did ask me to give this to you,” he said as he handed Jared a box. “Go ahead; he asked that you open it before I take you to the meeting.”

Jared opened the box to find a beautiful, silver watch, and a simple silver band inside. He lifted the watch out and turned it over, taking in all of the details. On the back was an inscription that read: ‘Jared – always yours, J’ with the date underneath. 

Matt handed him a note, “I’ll give you a moment to read this,” he said as he stepped out of the room.

Jared,  
I hope that you like the watch. I wanted to give you something special to commemorate the day.  
Our wedding ceremony is going to be very one sided. I wish it didn’t have to be that way, but it’s a protocol that the omega rights movement hasn’t yet been able to change. I’ll be giving you a ring as a token of my commitment to you as your husband and your alpha. It’s meant to show that you’re under the care and protection of your alpha, but there’s nothing given to the alpha to show that he is spoken for by an omega.  
I would like the world to know that after today I will belong as much to you as you will to me. If you’d like, you can give me this ring, my late grandfather’s wedding band, during the ceremony; you’ll know when.  
If you’d rather not, I understand, and I promise I won’t be upset.  
This final meeting will be the last thing you’ll have to do on your own with your family. I won’t be able to address you directly, and I apologize in advance for that, but I want to make very sure that we follow the Omega Agency’s guidelines to the letter, so that you’re family can’t come back and cause trouble later. As soon as it’s over, and your father escorts you down the aisle, you’ll be free of them, and coming to a home where you’ll be treated the way you should have been treated all along.  
Yours,  
Jensen

Jared put the watch on, and slipped the ring into his pocket just as Matt came back in.  
++  
“Your family is already inside, and there should be an empty seat for you next to your father. The King, Queen and Prince Jensen, as well as the Omega Agency representative will be in very shortly, okay?”

Jared nodded and tried to surreptitiously wipe his sweaty palms on his pants.

“Good luck,” Matt whispered as he ushered Jared inside.

His father was up and out of his chair like a shot, and backing Jared against the door, “What is the meaning of this?”

“The meaning of what?”

“First you embarrassed me in front of the Queen, and then again in front of Prince Jensen at dinner last night. Now we’ve been kept waiting in this room for over an hour, and no one will tell us what’s going on. What did you do? I swear Jared, if you’ve ruined this deal for me you’ll regret it.”

Jared kept his eyes down. He’d embarrassed his father? He was pretty sure that the man had that backwards, but he wasn’t foolish enough to say anything. “I’m sorry that you weren’t told that the meeting had been pushed back. It’s my understanding that it had to be postponed because someone was arriving late.”

Charles grabbed Jared by the arm and pushed him toward the table, “Sit down. I want to get this over with. We’ve been patient for long enough. If the Prince isn’t here in a few minutes I’m going to go find some answers.”

The only other person in the room was Jared’s mother, and as soon as Jared sat down, she started in, “I could hardly keep your brother and sister from coming in; they’re so excited to see what will be included in the offering package. Your sister is really hoping for a new car, and your brother is hoping for a consulting position with the Court. Wouldn’t that be exciting?”

“Really, it’s the least he could do, considering how reasonable I was to accept the first offer he made for Jared. I’ll bet I could have countered and gotten more.”

“Probably, but I’m sure that the extras will more than make up for it,” his mother said, and Jared did all he could to hold back his grin. If Jensen really did what he said he was going to do, his parents were in for a shock.

The door opened and to Jared’s surprise, Ty escorted Gemma inside.

“What is she doing here?” his father demanded.

“Prince Jensen requested that she be here for the meeting. That’s what caused the delay; we had to send a plane to pick her up.”

“There’s no reason for her to be here; I think she should wait outside,” his mother said just as a second door opened and Prince Jensen, the King, Queen, and omega agency representative walked in.

Jared and his parents rose until the King and Queen were seated, and as soon as they sat back down, Jared’s father spoke, “Why is she here? She’s not even supposed to be attending the wedding!” 

Prince Jensen looked at Charles contemptuously, “She’s here at my request,” he said simply.

Charles looked like he wanted to say more, but the omega agency rep spoke, “Shall we begin?” He didn’t wait for a response before continuing, “My name is Timothy Rockford. I am a senior representative for the Ackland Omega Agency. This meeting is being recorded.”

He pulled out a sheaf of papers before continuing, “We are here today to complete the omega offering of one Jared Tristin Padalecki. Would Omega Padalecki’s current alpha state his name and relationship to the omega?”

“Just hold on a minute. I want to know why she,” Charles said as he pointed an accusatory finger toward Gemma, “is here.”

This time it was the King who spoke. “Mr. Padalecki, it is not your place to question who my son has brought to this meeting.”

Jared’s father bristled, but he gave a slight nod of understanding before answering in a stilted voice, “My name is Charles Padalecki, and I am the omega’s father.”

“Very good,” Timothy said, “And you agree to pass ownership of said omega to Prince Jensen of Ackland for the agreed upon amount of one point two million Aucks. Is that correct?”

Jared gaped at Jensen. He had no idea that his father had requested such an outlandishly high price, and he couldn’t believe that his family expected Jensen to add even more in the way of additional gifts and perks.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Very good. I’ll need three signatures from you,” he said as he slid the papers across the table. “Sign next to each red X. The first one is your agreement that you’ve disclosed all relevant information regarding the omega’s physical and mental health; the second is that you are his legal guardian and have the right to accept this agreement; and the third is your acceptance of the offered payment.”

Jared’s father signed quickly, and pushed the papers back.

“Prince Jensen, I need two signatures from you next to each green X. The first is your agreement to purchase said omega for the agreed upon monetary amount; the second is your obligation to care for said omega in accordance with the Omega Agency’s policy.”

Jensen signed his name, and gave the papers back to the agent, “And I am signing here as witness. You’ll each get a copy of this signed document. Prince Jensen do you have the check?”

“Yes,” Jensen said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope and handed it over the table to Jared’s father.

“Do you accept this payment, Mr. Padalecki?”

Jared’s father looked at the check in the envelope, “Yes, I do.”

“Okay, then please sign this,” the agent said as he slid another document across the table, “and the transaction will be complete.”

Jared’s parents sat up a little straighter, knowing that the moment they’d truly been waiting for was upon them. Jared couldn’t believe how greedy they were being, as if over a million Aucks wasn’t more than enough compensation.

Instead of addressing them again though, the agent turned to Gemma, “Are you Gemma Tilton, former nanny and household aide to the Padalecki family?”

Gemma looked slightly uncomfortable as she answered in the affirmative.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, the purchasing alpha often makes additional gifts of money, goods, or services to the selling alpha. In this case, Prince Jensen has had me draw up papers to pass these benefits on to you.”

Gemma’s eyes widened in shock, and she looked to Jared who simply smiled in return.

“What is the meaning of this?”  
“You can’t do that!” Jared’s mother and father yelled over each other.

“Silence!” the King boomed. “Did you or did you not just agree to the terms set forth for the sale of your omega?”

“Well, yes, but-“

“But nothing! My son has fulfilled his portion of the contract, and you have accepted.”

“But it’s customary-“

“That’s enough,” Jensen cut in quietly but firmly before turning to Gemma, and effectively shutting up Jared’s parents.  
“Ms. Tipton, Jared has spoken nothing but good things about you, and it’s obvious that you care for him very deeply.”

“Yes, I do,” Gemma said, giving Jared a fond look.

“I would like to repay that kindness.”

“Oh, Sire, that isn’t necessary. Being invited to the wedding is more than enough. I didn’t take care of Jared hoping for a reward. I took care of Jared because I love him like a son.”

“He’s not your son, he’s mine!” Jared’s mother spat.

“Mr. and Mrs. Padalecki, if either of you speak out of turn again I will call the guard in and have you shown out, do you understand?” Without waiting for a response, Jensen continued, "Mrs. Tipton that is exactly why I would like to do something special for you, since you took such good care of my fiancé without expecting anything in return.”  
“First of all, I’m arranging for you and your daughter to meet with a contractor later in the week to draw up plans for new homes for each of you. Jared told me that you’d moved to be closer to your family, is that correct?”

A very shocked looking Gemma nodded.

“Excellent. I thought that maybe he could come up with a plan so that you could be next door to each other, whatever you think would work the best. I’m also making arrangements for you to take an extended vacation with them. The palace travel agent will be contacting you about that, and I’ll be sure to clear it with your daughter and son-in-law’s employers’ so that they can have the time off.”

“In addition to that, five million Aucks have been transferred into your bank account-“

“This is outrageous!” Jared’s father said, but Jensen continued on without stopping.

“-to be used as you see fit. I can arrange for a financial advisor to work with you if you’d like.”

“Finally, I would like to give you this,” Jensen stood and crossed over to Gemma and knelt in front of her, pulling a black jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and opening it up. Inside was a stunning broach made of rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. “This was my great grandmother’s, and I’d like you to have it.”

“This…this is all too much,” Gemma said.

“I don’t think it’s enough, to be honest. Jared is priceless, and you seem to be the only one who was able to see that. Please, accept this as a token of my appreciation for all you’ve done for him.”

Jared wiped a tear away from his cheek. He loved Gemma so much, and he was glad that she’d be able to enjoy her retirement in a way that she deserved.

Jensen stood, “Is that all, Mr. Rockford?”

“Yes, Your Highness. The omega is yours.”

“Wonderful. Jared, would you please join me?”

Jared started to rise, but his father stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “Is this a joke?”

“No, Mr. Padalecki, I assure it is not,” Jensen replied coolly.

Jared’s father turned to him, “What did you do? This…this is all your fault! You’ve been filling the Prince’s head with lies about us!”

Jared quickly got out of his chair and crossed to Jensen, afraid of what his father might do.

“Mr. Padalecki, Jared has not said one bad word about you.”

“Then what-“

“Don’t interrupt me again,” Jensen warned. “You got what you agreed to. I am under no obligation to provide you with anything more. I’ve seen the way you treat Jared firsthand over the last couple of days, and it’s disgraceful. He’s a kind, generous, intelligent young man, and you and your family are too blinded by bigotry to see that.”

“Now, you can stay and escort your son down the aisle, get your picture taken by the press so that you can go home and brag to your friends that your son is now a member of the royal family. You can attend the reception this evening and enjoy our hospitality, or you can pack your things and leave now. Which will it be?”

“We’ll stay,” Charles said stiffly.

“Fine. As soon as the reception ends you and your family will be driven home. After that none of you are to have any contact with Jared or Ms. Tipton ever again.”  
With that, Jensen helped Gemma to her feet, then took Jared’s hand and led them both from the room.

The King helped the Queen to her feet before addressing the Padaleckis one final time, “At the first sign of trouble from any of you, the guard will escort you immediately from the grounds.” The King and Queen then left, leaving Jared’s parents behind without a second thought.  
++  
“Jared, dear, what is going on?” Gemma asked as soon as they were out of the conference room.

Jared looked to Jensen, unsure of how to answer.

“Ms. Tipton, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jensen said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

Gemma blushed, which made Jared grin, “It’s very nice to meet you too, Your Highness.”

“Jensen. Please call me Jensen. Sit with me for a moment?” Jensen asked, gesturing to a group of chairs.

Once they were comfortably seated, Jensen went on, “I’m sorry for the late night phone call and the rush to get here. We don’t have a lot of time since we had to push that meeting back, so I’ll get right to the point."

“I know that I only met Jared in person a couple of days ago, but my Uncle Michael was his tutor, and he used to tell me about Jared all of the time, so I feel as though I’ve known him for much longer. Uncle Michael didn’t tell me much about the other members of Jared’s family, but he did give me the distinct impression that they were rather unpleasant. Having met them, unpleasant doesn’t come nearly close enough in my estimation.”

“I’ve seen the way they treat their son, and it’s disgraceful. No one should be treated that way, especially not someone as amazing as Jared,” Jensen said, pausing to smile softly at his fiancé. “I asked Jared last night if there was anyone else he considered family. Anyone who had shown him kindness and love, and without hesitation he told me about you.”

“From this day forward Jared will be treated with the affection and respect that he deserves, and I’m hopeful that one day we can be a real family,” Jensen said with a wistful expression. “But, in the meantime, I want to do something for you, and for Jared, and I want to let you know that you’ll always be welcome here, and that I hope you’ll come visit Jared as often as you’re able.”

Gemma patted Jensen on the cheek, “I’m not sure what to say. Loving Jared was never a job, and he’s brought so much joy to me since he was a little boy. So thank you. Not for the money and the gifts, although I do very much appreciate them, but for taking care of my boy.”

“Prince, it’s time for the wedding ceremony,” Ty interrupted.

Jensen stood, “Ty will stay with you until the moment you start to walk down the aisle, Jared.” He then turned to Gemma and offered his arm, “May I escort you to your seat, ma’am?”

Gemma pressed a kiss to Jared’s cheek, and whispered, “Remember your promise to me,” before standing and taking Jensen’s arm.

The wedding was to be held in the small chapel located inside the palace. Jensen had discussed it with his parents, and they’d decided that it would be best to have a small, more intimate ceremony as opposed to holding it in the cathedral. There would be a few members of the press there, but otherwise it would just be immediate family. So much of the day would be public that Jensen had wanted the most important part to be at least a little private.

Once the guests were seated the King and Queen entered, followed by Jensen and Gemma. That left Jared and his father with Ty. Jared’s father wouldn’t even look at him, and while it stung a little, mostly it was a relief. 

Organ music began to play, and Ty nodded for Charles and Jared to make their way down the aisle. Jared kept his eyes down. He was so full of mixed emotions. He was more than happy to be leaving his family. Any residual reluctance had left him after the morning’s meeting, and he had been pleasantly surprised by the kindness and acceptance of the royal family. He would even admit that his soon to be husband was attractive and charming, and a growing part of Jared thought that he could be happy with him; that maybe he could even come to love him.

Still, he couldn’t forget that he was being forced into this. He couldn’t walk out the door, he couldn’t say no, he couldn’t ask for more time to get to know the Prince before they were wed. 

Once Jared and his father made it to the altar, the priest asked, “Who gives the omega to be wed in holy matrimony?”

“I, his alpha, do,” his father replied stiffly. The priest nodded in acceptance, and Charles stepped aside to join his family.

The priest went on for a bit about marriage and responsibility, but Jared tuned him out. None of what he said mattered to Jared, and he didn’t like being at the center of attention. His mind kept warring over Jensen’s kindness, and Jared’s lack of freedom, and he pressed his hand against the pocket of his pants, feeling the outline of the ring Jensen had given him that morning.

Jared was brought from his musing by Jensen taking his hand, as the priest said, “Prince Jensen, do you vow to care for the omega? To provide for him and assure his safety?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then I-“

“One, moment please,” Jensen interrupted the priest. Jensen leaned forward so that Jared was the only one who could hear him. “Jared, I vow to treat you as my equal. To provide for not only your physical needs, but your emotional ones as well. I will be faithful and patient. I will seek your counsel in all matters concerning us and the family we may someday have. I will honor you, and cherish you, and everyday be grateful of the precious gift that I’ve been given.”

Jared stared into Jensen’s eyes, and saw no deception or insincerity, only hope and affection, and his heart skipped a little at the intensity behind the emotion. The priest cleared his throat, breaking the moment.

“Do you have the ring, Sire?”

Jensen pulled a silver ring from his pocket, and the priest continued, “Please place this ring on the omega’s finger as a sign of both your ownership and protection.”  
Jensen slid the ring onto Jared’s finger, and paused with a hopeful expression, and Jared knew that this was the moment that Jensen had referred to when he’d given Jared the ring earlier in the day. Jared slipped his hand in his pocket, fingers brushing over the smooth, cool metal, but in the end, he just wasn’t ready.

Jensen’s expression went from hopeful to resigned and understanding, and even though Jared didn’t like that look, he kept his resolve. If he decided to give Jensen the ring, it would be when he meant it. When, if, he was able to fully commit all of himself to his almost-husband. When he trusted him enough to fully give him his heart.

“By the power granted to me by the King of Ackland, I now pronounce you husband and omega. You may seal your union with a kiss.”

Jensen slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jared’s in a soft, chaste kiss. It was Jared’s first kiss, and much to his surprise he found that it was over way too quickly. His lips tingled a bit when Jensen pulled back, and Jared unconsciously pressed his fingers to them, causing Jensen to grin.

Jensen took Jared’s hand and turned to face their guests as the priest said, “I present to you Prince Jensen of Ackland, and his omega.”

Music started to play, and Jared knew that was their cue to head back down the aisle, but Jensen held up his hand to the organist who stopped playing. “Please let me do this properly. It is Prince Jensen of Ackland, and his husband, Jared Ackles.”

Jared stared at Jensen in surprise, but Jensen just motioned for the music to begin again and then took Jared’s elbow and led him back down the aisle.  
++  
There was no time after the ceremony. A large crowd had gathered outside of the palace in anticipation of the King’s introduction of his newest family member. Jared hadn’t really given that part of the day much thought, but as he stood with Jensen just inside the doors that led to the balcony overlooking the parade grounds, he could hear the rumble of the crowd and started to panic.

The King and his head of security joined Jared and Jensen, “Is everything set, Nathan?”

“Yes Sire. We decided to put up the bullet-proof glass barrier, and station a few more officers around the castle.”

“What?” Jensen asked sharply. “Has there been a credible threat?”

“No, Your Highness. There are a few more omega rights protesters than we’d anticipated, and since…” Nathan paused and glanced apologetically at Jared before continuing, “since we’re unsure of the family’s intentions now that their situation has changed we thought it best to be prepared.”

“Thank you, Nathan,” the King said. He then looked toward his wife, Jensen, and Jared, “Let’s get this taken care of, shall we?”

A page announced the King and Queen, and as they stepped out onto the balcony, Jared turned to Jensen, “Prince,” Jared took a deep breath, “Jensen, I mean. What am I supposed to do when we go out there?”

Jensen looked at Jared fully, noting how pale he was, and how quickly he was breathing, “Hey, Jared, it’s okay. My father is going to introduce us, we’ll step up next to my mother and wave. That’s it, okay?”

“It’s just, there are so many people out there.”

“Right in the middle of the parade grounds there’s a fountain. Keep a smile on your face, and focus on the fountain, and we will be back inside before you know it.”

“-my great pleasure to present to you, the loyal citizens of Ackland, my son, Prince Jensen, and his husband, Jared Padalecki.”  
++  
Thirty minutes later and Jared was back in his room. Jared’s introduction to the people had been over quickly. There had been a minor scuffle toward the rear of the crowd where the protesters were, but Jensen had assured him that someone was always protesting something, and that it was nothing significant.

He slipped out of his tux and got in the shower. It was only two in the afternoon, but to Jared it felt like it could be two in the morning. It was difficult to believe that so much had happened in so short a time. His mind was still reeling from the meeting with his parents and Gemma, Jensen’s quiet vows during their wedding, and the presentation ceremony. He wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week, but he still had the wedding reception to get through. Thankfully, he had four hours before that started. 

He let the hot water beat down on his shoulders and tried to clear his mind as best he could. He wasn’t looking forward to that evening. Jensen had told him that there would be close to three hundred guests, and that it would probably last for several hours. The only good thing that Jared could think of was that it would hopefully be the last time he’d have to deal with his family, at least for a while. Maybe forever.

“Jared? Did you drown in there?” he heard Matt call from the main room.

He reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out, drying off and slipping into a t-shirt and track pants. 

“There you are,” Matt said with a smile. “I brought you lunch.”

Jared nodded and sat down with the plate Matt offered, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Matt said as he slipped into the chair across from Jared. “I know this has been a difficult day, but you’re more than half way through it. And, there’ll be alcohol at the reception,” he said brightly.

Jared laughed, “I’m actually not old enough to drink.”

“You’re married to the Prince; I don’t think you’ll have to worry about being carded. Now, I’ve hung your suit for tonight on the mirror in your closet, and I’ll be back in a few hours to help you get ready. Prince Jensen said he’d stop by soon. Is there anything else you need right now?”

“No, thank you Matt.”

No sooner had Matt left than Jensen arrived. “How are you? You look exhausted.”

Jared set down his half-eaten plate of food, “I am. I feel like my life is in fast forward and I’m two steps behind.”

“One more event and then you can relax, okay?”

Jared nodded. 

“How about a nap?” Jensen offered.

“That would be great, actually.”

Jensen took Jared’s hand and helped him up, then led him across the room to the bed, “You lay down and rest. I’ll just,” Jensen looked longingly at the bed for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing, “I’ll just go next door so you can have some peace and quiet.”

Jared sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Jensen turned toward the door that led to his own room. “Prince,” Jared huffed, “I mean, Jensen?”

Jensen turned back and before Jared dropped his eyes he could tell that he was trying his best to keep his expression blank. “Yes?”

“You…you could stay here. I mean, if you were going to take a nap too, you could just do it here,” Jared paused and looked up from where he’d been playing with the hem of his shirt, “with me.”

Jensen took a step back toward the bed, “Are you sure?”

Jared nodded and climbed under the covers, and Jensen wasted no time in joining him. The bed was huge, and Jared felt awkward as they both laid flat on their backs trying not to touch or move. That lasted all of about thirty seconds before Jensen slowly scooted toward Jared and gently pulled him into his arms. 

“Is this okay?” he asked quietly, and the nervous waver in his voice somehow made Jared calm. He relaxed into the embrace and was asleep before he knew it.  
++  
Jared woke up when Jensen quietly slipped out of bed. He feigned sleep until he was alone, and then slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He’d slept better in Jensen’s arms than he had since his father had told him he was to be married, maybe even longer. The fact that he wasn’t nervous and upset about it made him nervous and upset. It was too much to think about; he needed to get ready for the reception and that gave him more than enough to occupy his mind.

Matt knocked and entered, “Oh good, you’re awake. Ready to get changed?”

Jared ran a hand through his hair, before nodding and pushing up from the bed, “Do you know what I should expect tonight?”

“It’s going to be a long night, I’m afraid. Guests are starting to arrive now for the cocktail hour, but you and the Prince won’t have to join them until dinner. After the meal the King and Prince Patrick will both make toasts, then the usual wedding reception things: cutting the cake, the first dance, that type of thing.”

“Will I have to do anything on my own,” Jared paused, sucking a quick breath as a thought occurred to him, “Or with my family?”

“I’m not supposed to know this, but I overheard Prince Jensen tell Ty that anything that brought attention to your family, or anything that would leave you alone with them was to be cut from the itinerary.” Matt lowered his voice, as if afraid someone would overhear him, “Plus, I know that as soon as your family leaves their rooms for the ballroom, Prince Jensen is going to have the staff load their luggage into a car and have the car waiting. They’ll be escorted from the ballroom directly to the car, either at the end of the reception, or before if they cause any problems.”

Matt clapped his hands together, “Now let’s get you ready.”  
++  
Jared looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t given a lot of thought to what anyone was wearing earlier in the day; there had just been too much going on. Matt had helped him into a midnight blue suit with the Ackles family crest embroidered on the chest, and he was just buttoning his suit coat when Jensen stepped in.

Jared turned at the sound of the door and froze. His husband, and how weird was that, was handsome, he’d noticed that before, but his husband in formal Ackland military dress was something else. 

“Jared,” Jensen said as he crossed the room, “you look amazing.”

Jared startled, “I do?”

Jensen laughed a little, “Yes, you do.”

Jared blushed and ducked his head, “S-so do you. Are you still in the military?” he asked, hoping to turn the focus away from himself.

“No. I served from the time I was eighteen until just after my twenty-first birthday. My brother is head of the Royal Guard, though, and probably will be until he takes over for my father. Are you ready to go?”

Jared followed Jensen through the winding halls of the palace to a large ballroom where Jensen’s family was waiting for them. Jared gave them all a polite smile before dropping his eyes and trying to hide a bit behind Jensen. He would be glad when the night was over. 

A trumpet sounded from inside, and two guards opened the door and the Ackles family was announced as they entered and took their seats at an elaborately decorated table on a raised platform facing the guests. Jensen sat next to his mother, with Jared on his right. Once they were all seated, Ty escorted Gemma to the empty spot next to Jared, and he felt a rush of relief at having her there.

Jared chanced a look around the room until his gaze found his family. They were tucked off to the side, and he was sure that they weren’t pleased about that. His mother and father were staring at Gemma with a look of betrayal, while his brother and sister glared at him. His sister-in-law just looked uncomfortable. Gemma followed his eyes, and placed her hand on his, “Just try to ignore them,” she murmured.

The Queen stood and welcomed everyone, and thanked them for sharing in such a joyous occasion, and then the priest who had performed the wedding ceremony said a blessing. Waiters began bringing out food and drink soon after, and Jared was glad to see most everyone’s attention shift from him to their food.

Jared poked at his salad, and hoped that the main course wouldn’t be something too fancy that would be difficult to eat. He watched as plates of lobster were given to the Queen and King, and cringed inwardly. Not only would that be hard to eat without making a mess, but he didn’t really like seafood. He was confused for a moment when plates of what appeared to be homemade pizza were placed in front of him and Jensen. Jensen leaned toward him, “I asked Gemma what your favorite meal was, and she told me it was her homemade pizza. She swore our head chef to secrecy with her recipe for the sauce.”

Jared smiled, and gave Gemma a kiss on the cheek before taking a bite of his pizza and chewing happily. It was then that he started to really look around. The ballroom was beautifully decorated. Each table had a tall, crystal candelabra surrounded by bunches of gold and white flowers, with chocolate brown accents. The chairs were covered in white silk held in place by brown, satin bows. In fact, as Jared looked around the room he noticed that everything was gold, white, and brown, and he turned to Jensen and asked slowly, “Did you have the reception decorated in the colors of the Ackland Tigers?”

“That depends. Do you like it?”

Jared laughed, “Yeah, I do.”

“Good. I remember my Uncle Michael talking about how you were always talking about them, about what a big fan you were.”

“Yeah, it was one of the very few things that my parents would let me watch on TV., but I’ve been a fan since my dad took me to a game when I was five or six.”

“I know that you’re not here by choice, and that you didn’t have a say in any of this, and I just wanted to have some part of it be something that you could enjoy. I tried to get my mother to incorporate their logo somehow, but using their colors was as far as she was willing to go.”

Jared didn’t really know what to say to that. He was surprised that Jensen had gone so far to make him feel included. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“We’ll have to cut the cake after we eat, but you and I will be having strawberry shortcake for dessert instead. That’s your favorite, right?”

Gemma leaned forward, “His favorite. He would have eaten it every day for breakfast if I’d let him,” she said with a smile.

After that, Jared was able to relax through the rest of the meal, and each of the toasts. He even had a reasonably good time as he and Jensen cut and fed each other bites of cake. Once dessert had been cleared away it was time for their first dance, and Jared was glad that his mother had insisted on dance lessons for him. He and Jensen twirled around the floor, and at the end of the song he met Jensen halfway in a short kiss.

Jensen then led his mother onto the floor, and Ty escorted Gemma to dance with Jared. Jensen had told him that after they each danced with their mothers, Gemma in Joyce’s place, that that would be the last of the official things they’d have to do for the night.

Jared and Gemma were on their second turn around the floor when a disturbance in the corner of the room drew everyone’s attention. Cole was almost onto the dance floor before the guards were able to restrain him. He fought against their hold and yelled, “How dare you disgrace us like this!? She’s not your mother, she’s nothing more than hired help. You’ll never be anything more than a purchased whore, Jared! Noth-“ 

He was abruptly cut off when Prince Patrick pulled his sword from it’s sheath, a sword that Jared had earlier dismissed as simply decorative, and placed the blade to Cole’s chest, “Are you threatening a member of the royal family, Mr. Padalecki?”

“He’s not a member of the royal family; he’s a worthless-“

“Shut up, Cole. For the love of God, please just shut up,” his wife hissed. “You’ve done more than enough to embarrass us.” She turned to Prince Patrick, “I apologize for my husband, Your Highness. We’ll just be on our way.” She turned and walked from the ballroom, and the rest of the Padalecki family followed, closely shepherded by guards.  
There were a few seconds of stunned silence before the string quartet resumed the music. Gemma turned to Jared, “I always thought there was hope for that girl,” she said with a grin.

With Jared’s family no longer present, and his official duties fulfilled, he was actually able to relax a bit and enjoy the reception. It may have also been due to the fact that he helped himself to as many flutes of champagne as he could get away with.

Gemma excused herself soon after her dance with Jared, and Jared spent the next hour dancing with partner after partner, before being reclaimed by Jensen.

“You look like you’re having a good time,” Jensen said with a grin that Jared returned. 

“I am. These women keep asking for a dance. I tried to say no a couple of times, but they just ignored me.”

“Well, I’m glad that you’ve been able to enjoy yourself.” Jared smiled wider as a waiter passed by and he snagged another champagne flute. Jensen brushed his cheek with a look of surprise, “You have dimples.”

Jared poked the end of Jensen’s nose with his finger, “And you have freckles, Prince husband. Er, Prince Jensen.”

Jensen barked out a laugh and deftly took the glass from Jared, “Okay buddy, I think you’re cut off. You ready to get out of here? I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”  
Jensen caught his mother’s eye and gave her a questioning look, and when she nodded back, Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand, “Okay, we have the Queen’s official okay to make our escape.”

Jared stumbled along behind Jensen, prattling on about dinner, and how his shoes were too tight, and how he was never going to learn to navigate the palace. Jensen wasn’t really paying attention, just happy to have Jared relaxed for a while, even if it was mostly because he’d had too much to drink. He steered Jared into Jared’s room and took off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. He turned around, intent on helping his husband get ready for bed, but stopped when he found Jared, one shoe kicked off and his suit jacket hanging from one arm, staring at him.

“What?”

“You’re really hot,” Jared blurted, before quickly slapping a hand over his mouth.

“And you are drunk,” Jensen said, amused. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?”

There was a knock on the door, and Jensen opened it to find Matt standing there, looking unsure, “I wasn’t sure if Jared would need my assistance this evening.”

Jensen glanced back at Jared, who was attempting to take off his tie, “Actually, if you could help him into his pajamas, I’ll go change and come back and help him finish getting ready for bed.”

Jensen returned a few minutes later with a glass of water and some painkillers. “Take these, okay?”

Jared took the pills and gulped down the water, and Jensen helped him get settled in bed. He turned off the light and was headed back to his room when Jared’s voice stopped him, “Aren’t you going to sleep in here?”

“I-Do you want me to sleep in here?”

Jared didn’t answer, and Jensen wondered if he’d fallen asleep, “Jared?” he asked quietly.

“Please,” he heard Jared say softly. Jensen slid into bed and pulled Jared into his arms. It was more than he’d dared to hope for on his wedding night.  
++  
Jared woke up with a pounding behind his eyes and a mouth that felt as though it was stuffed with cotton, and when he rolled over he was relieved to find he was alone. He dragged himself from bed and into the bathroom, and felt much better after showering and brushing his teeth.

He got dressed and made the bed and found himself with nothing to do. He thought it would probably be okay to go to the kitchen, but he wasn’t positive, and besides he had no idea how to get there. Thankfully, Jensen came in soon after.

“You’re awake, good! Did you sleep well?”

“Um, yes. Thank you,” Jared paused, “I’m sorry about last night. I’m really not used to drinking.”

Jensen just waved away his concern, “Don’t worry about it. You seemed like you were having a good time, and you didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have. Matt should be here with breakfast soon. Would you like to eat outside?”

“Sure,” Jared said, glad that Jensen didn’t seem to be upset. Matt brought breakfast and set it up on the balcony before excusing himself, throwing a wink over his shoulder at Jared.

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying the sunshine and the view. Jensen broke the quiet, “I’m sorry that we can’t go on a honeymoon right away.”

“Uh, that’s okay. Ty mentioned that you were busy. To be honest, I didn’t really think we’d go on one anyway.”

“Of course we’ll go on one. The next couple of weeks are busy for me, and I’m sure that I could have gotten out of my commitments, but I thought it might be better for us to plan it together. We can go anywhere you’d like.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Do you have a place in mind?”

Jared shook his head. 

“Well, we have plenty of time to decide. I do have all day today free, though. What would you like to do?”

“Is nothing an option?”

Jensen laughed, “It most certainly is. You haven’t had a real tour of the palace yet, have you?”

“No.”

“How about if I show you around?”

Jensen started with his room, although room wasn’t an accurate description. Jared had thought that his room was extravagant, but it was nothing compared to Jensen’s. He had a bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, and sitting room. From there he went on to the more common areas of the palace.

“My brother stays at the base most of the time, so it’s usually just my mother and father, and with as large as the palace is, I could go days without seeing them if I wanted.”

“I’m not sure that I’ll ever find my way around,” Jared said. “But, I guess I’ll always have a chaperone, so I suppose that’s not a big deal.”

“What? Why would you have a chaperone?”

“Um, because I’m an omega? Omegas aren’t supposed to go anywhere on their own.”

“Jared, this is your home; you can go anywhere you wish, whenever you wish. Well, almost anywhere. I doubt you’d want to stumble into my parent’s room,” Jensen said with a grimace.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. If it’s two in the afternoon, or two in the morning even, and you want a snack, just go to the kitchen. Or, pick up the phone and have one of the staff bring you something. Or, if you want to swim, or explore the gardens. Anything. You don’t need permission.”

“I-okay,” Jared said. 

“And, I’ll tell you a secret. Have you noticed the phones that seem to be everywhere?”

Jared nodded.

“If you get lost, just pick one up and ask for help. You’ll also have your own mobile phone that you can use to call me or Matt if you need.”

“If there’s somewhere you want to go outside of the palace grounds, you’ll have to let me or Matt know so that we can arrange for security for you. That’s standard for all members of the royal family.”

They spent the next several hours exploring the palace, and when they were done Jared felt confident that he could make it to the kitchen, gym, and library without getting lost. After, Jensen had a basket packed for them, and they went out into one of the gardens and ate under a huge oak tree.

Conversation flowed easily between the two of them, and Jared was disappointed when the Queen requested that they join her in her parlor. Jared led the way, and was pleased when he only made one wrong turn. The grin slipped from his face when he saw what was waiting for them: pile after pile of presents.

“There you boys are,” the queen said with a smile. “Look at all of these lovely gifts! I thought it would be a good idea for you two to open them now, since Jensen will be busy all week.”

“Mom, if you’re so excited about them, then maybe you could just open them?” Jensen asked hopefully.

His mother arched an eyebrow in a move that Jared realized Jensen must have gotten from her. “Do you remember when all of these gifts started coming in? I told you that it would be a good idea to open them as they were delivered, but you said that you’d rather wait and do it with your husband? I’m starting to think that maybe you were just hoping to put it off long enough to get out of it.”

Jensen smirked at her before turning to Jared, “Sorry?”

“Do we have to write thank you notes for all of these?” Jared asked in horror that was only partly for show.

The Queen laughed, “No. We’ll have a formal card sent for most of them. There will only be a handful that will require personal notes.”

It took nearly three hours to open everything, write down who had given them what, and clear everything away. They had been given some very nice pieces of art, an oddly large number of soup tureens, and several things that Jared couldn’t imagine they’d ever use. 

When they were finally done they joined the King for dinner, and Jared was surprised to find out just how normal they seemed. He had expected dinner to be formal, but it was actually much like the dinners he remembered with his family when he was little.

Once Jensen and Jared were back in Jared’s room, Jared felt his insecurity and nervousness creep back in. The Prince hadn’t pushed for anything physical the night before, but Jared wasn’t naïve enough to think that would last, no matter what Jensen had said before they were married.

“Thank you for spending the day with me,” Jensen said as he pressed a kiss to Jared’s cheek. “You look exhausted, so I’ll let you get to sleep. Just pick up the phone next to the bed if you need anything.”

“You’re..uh, you’re not going to sleep in here?”

“No, not tonight. I have to be up before dawn, and I don’t want to wake you. You really do look exhausted. Good night, Jared.”

“’Night,” Jared murmured, feeling equal parts confused and relieved.  
++  
Jared woke up wondering what he was supposed to do for the day, and wishing that he’d asked Jensen. He paced back and forth for a few minutes, and reached for the phone several times only to pull back before picking up the receiver. Jensen had said that he could go wherever he wanted, and that if he had a question he should just pick up the phone, but Jared didn’t want to be a bother. Plus, he wasn’t sure that whoever would answer would be able to tell him how to spend his day.

He decided what he needed was some exercise. He changed and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes, and then squared his shoulders and opened the door. He almost expected someone to be outside, ready to tell him to get back in his room, but there was no one there. He quickly ran through the route he’d need to take to get to the gym, and then hurried down the hall before he could lose his nerve.

He was thankful to find the gym empty when he got there. Thirty minutes on the treadmill had him ready for a shower and some breakfast. He wasn’t sure what to do about breakfast, but he could at least shower. 

By the time he was showered and dressed he was starving, and he was relieved to find Matt waiting for him when he stepped out of the bathroom.

“Good morning! I hope you don’t mind me just showing up, but Beth, the morning cook, said you hadn’t been down to eat yet, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I went down to the gym, and I wasn’t sure about breakfast…” Jared trailed off, looking a little uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, I assumed that Prince Jensen would have told you to go to the kitchen when you were hungry.”

“No, he did. I just…I wasn’t sure…” 

“Ah, I get it. A little uncomfortable being alone in the palace?”

Jared nodded, glad that Matt understood.

“How about this? I’ll plan to eat breakfast and lunch, and even dinner when the Prince isn’t available. At least until you’re a bit more settled.”

“That would be great, but I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

Matt laughed, “Jared, I’m your personal assistant. Being inconvenienced by you is in my job description,” he joked.

“I thought you were just helping me out last week, during the wedding. Don’t you have other things to do?”

“Let’s go get breakfast, and I’ll explain, okay? I’m starving, and Beth was making blueberry pancakes.”

Jared and Matt settled in a small dining room, and Beth brought in breakfast and introduced herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.

“Please, just call me Jared.”

As Jared and Matt started to eat, Matt asked, “So I think you’re a little confused?”

“More than a little,” Jared admitted with a grimace. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing, and being here is not at all what I expected.”

“How so?”

Jared looked embarrassed, and debated what to say but then decided that if he couldn’t share his concerns with another omega that he’d never get things figured out. “From the moment my family found out that I was an omega they’ve drilled into my head that when I was given to an alpha I’d basically,” Jared’s cheeks pinked and he cleared his throat, “that I’d basically live in his bedroom,” he finished quietly. “I didn’t have any freedom at home, and I thought that I’d have even less here.”

Matt nodded, encouraging Jared to go on. “This time last week I was sitting in my bedroom, panicking about how my life was about to change. I had all of these scenarios playing out, but being here is nothing like I expected.”

“There are a lot of people out there like your parents,” Matt said. “But thankfully their numbers are going down. Omega rights are increasing slowly but steadily. We still have a long way to go, but we’re getting there.”

“And that’s great,” Jared agreed, “but…”

“But that doesn’t help you right now.”

“Exactly. I had these expectations, but nothing matches those and I have no idea what to do. I went to the gym this morning, but I didn’t know what to do about breakfast. I probably would have sat in my room all day.”

“Okay, well, when you have questions you can always ask me; that’s what I’m here for. And, I’ve worked here long enough to know the Prince a bit, and I assure you that you can ask him anything as well. But, I get it. You were thrown into this situation with no preparation or information, so let’s start at the beginning. Sound good?”

Jared let out a relieved breath. He didn’t know Matt, but he’d been nothing but kind, and Jared felt comfortable with him, “That would be great.”

They finished eating and went back to Jared’s room. “Great, I was hoping they’d have been delivered,” Matt said crossing to the desk. He grabbed a few things and motioned for Jared to join him on the couch. “Here’s your new smart phone, tablet, and laptop. Do you know how to use them?”

Jared didn’t. He’d never had a mobile phone, and the computer he’d been allowed to use for homework had been a clunky old desktop. Matt spent the next bit showing Jared how they worked, and he was impressed with how quickly Jared picked things up.

“Prince Jensen showed you around the palace, right?” At Jared nod, Matt continued, “Great. This is your home now, and you’re free to go wherever you’d like. Well, at least the private areas. I wouldn’t leave the residential wing without an escort, just to be safe.”

“Also, if you go outside from any door in this wing you’ll be in the enclosed, private gardens, so you’re good there as well.”

“Where is Jensen?” Jared asked. “He said he had meetings this week.”

“There’s summit meetings all this week, so he’ll be gone during the day, but he should be back in the evenings.”

“This is all great, but I still…what am I supposed to do all day? And don’t say whatever I want, because I don’t know what that is.”

Matt chuckled, “Let’s worry about this week, and go from there, okay?”

Matt and Jared worked out a loose schedule for the week, which made Jared feel much better. He worked out each morning, and spent time exploring the palace and grounds. He learned how to Skype with Gemma, and wasted more than a few hours lost on the Internet.

Jensen was back by dinner each evening. They’d eat dinner together, and Jensen would ask Jared for every little detail of his day. Soon after though, he would excuse himself and go to bed in his own room. Jared could tell that he was exhausted, so he tried not to take it personally. He’d only spent a few full days with Jensen, and he was surprised to find that he missed his company.  
++  
Jared woke on Saturday to rain pattering the windows, and the gray, gloomy sky matched his mood. Matt had told him that he would be happy to spend the weekend at the palace, but Jared had insisted that he take the weekend off to spend at home with his husband. He was very grateful for the patience and time Matt spent explaining things to him, but it still felt weird to have a personal assistant. Still, that meant two full days on his own, and he had to admit he was a little lonely.

He’d thought that maybe Jensen would have the weekend free, but Jensen had been even more exhausted than previous evenings; he hadn’t even stayed to eat with Jared, just said that he had a party to attend the next day and gone to bed.

Jared went to the gym and spent his time on the treadmill working out his thoughts. Jensen had been so sweet and attentive for the first few days that Jared had been at the palace, and Jared had started to believe that Jensen had wanted more than just an alpha/omega relationship with him. And Jared knew that Jensen had much more important things to do than cater to the whims of his new husband. He knew that. Still, he’d watched Matt pull out his phone and smile dreamily at silly text messages from his husband throughout the day, and he’d listened to Beth, a beta, as she’d served him breakfast, talk about the romantic weekend getaway she and her husband were planning, and Jared realized that was the kind of relationship he’d secretly been hoping for.

He shook his head at himself as he headed back to his room for a shower. Even without a romantic relationship with Jensen, he had so much to be thankful for: he was away from his family; he had an alpha who didn’t keep him locked away and didn’t force him into a physical relationship before he was ready; he lived in a palace. It was all way, way more than he ever dreamed he’d be given.

He pulled a clean set of clothes from his dresser, and let his fingers linger over the silver band in the small, satiny bag in the back of his sock drawer, and tried to ignore the pang of disappointment he felt.  
++  
Jared came out of the shower to find Jensen arranging breakfast on a small table that had been set up in front of the doors leading outside.

“Prin-Jensen,” Jared said in surprise. “What-I didn’t think I’d see you today.”

“You didn’t?”

“No, you said you had a party today.”

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry. I was so tired last night. I meant that we have a party today. I plan to spend the rest of the weekend with you, if that’s okay?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes! Er, I mean, yes, that would be nice.”

He joined Jensen at the table, and they exchanged small talk as they ate. Once they were done and Jensen had their dishes cleared away, they sat on the couch in front of the fireplace.

“I’m very sorry about this last week, Jared.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s certainly not the way that I’d planned to start our marriage. But that summit had been planned for months, and I figured that it would be best to just get it out of the way.”

“That’s okay. I know you have more important things to do than entertain me.”

“No, I don’t.”

Jared looked up at Jensen in surprise, but quickly looked away as he felt his face heat up. Jensen carefully touched his chin and turned his face back, “I don’t, Jared. I do have certain responsibilities, and some of them are important, but none of them are more important than you.”

“Oh,” Jared whispered, not sure of what he should say.

“Now that the summit is out of the way, I’ve worked with my mother and Ty to limit my duties for the next several weeks, so that we’ll be free to spend more time together.”  
“You have?” Jared asked in shock.

Jensen grinned, “You’ll be sick of me before you know it.”

They spent the next hour talking about how Jared had spent his week, Jensen asking him question after question about what he’d enjoyed and what he hadn’t.

“You mentioned something about a party?”

“Yes, my friend Kyle is having a birthday party this evening. I thought it would be a good way for you to meet my friends. I know that you met most of them at the reception, but with everything going on, I doubt you really remember.”

“You want me to go with you? To meet your friends?”

“Yes, of course. Unless you don’t want to go?”

Jared thought about it, “No. It would be good to meet them. But…”

“But what?”

“I don’t want to embarrass you,” Jared practically whispered.

Jensen took his hands in his, “Why would you think that would happen?”

“You’re…you’re the Prince, and I’m…nobody. I’m a seventeen year old omega who’s spent the last two years practically locked away. There’s nothing interesting about me, and-“

Jensen cut him off, and Jared was surprised to see the look of fierce determination in his eyes, “You are not nobody! You are a seventeen year old omega who against his family’s best intentions is strong, kind, intelligent, and amazing, and my friends can’t wait to meet you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. I want everyone on Earth to know that you’re mine. Now, if you don’t want to go to the party you don’t have to, but if it’s only because you think that you’re not good enough-“

This time Jared cut Jensen off, “Okay, I’ll go.”

Jensen beamed, “Great! We’ll have to go shopping for a present in a little bit, but first I have a surprise for you.”

Jensen took Jared’s hand and led him through the palace and out the door of the kitchen, “I was disappointed when it was raining this morning. Thankfully it stopped so that I can show you this.”

Jensen had stopped Jared, well, Jared wasn’t really sure where. They were standing in the middle of the lawn outside of the kitchen, and Jensen was giving him an expectant look. “Uh, it’s a really nice part of the yard?” Jared asked, not sure what he was supposed to say.

Jensen laughed, “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. I had Ty talk to our head gardener, Maggie, and he said said she thought that this would be a great place for you to have a vegetable garden. If you want. You don’t have to.”

“You remember that?”

“Of course I do. So, what do you think?”

Jared looked at the space again, but this time imagined it tilled and planted. He could feel the dirt under his nails, and smell the earthy scent of the soil. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

Jensen gave Jared a quick kiss on the cheek, “I’m going to prove to you how important you are to me,” he said with a soft smile.

Jared had no idea it was possible for someone to blush so much, and he was afraid his face was going to be permanently red. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

Jensen’s grin lit up his entire face, and Jared felt his heartbeat quicken a bit. The day was turning out way better than he’d thought it would.  
++  
Jensen took Jared back to their rooms after lunch to get ready to go shopping for his friend’s birthday party later in the day. “I’m sure that you can imagine that when I go shopping it can be quite a production. Bodyguards, press, the works. Those trips have to be planned in advance, and I have to be careful to visit different stores so as not to show favoritism.”

Jared looked a little alarmed. He’d had enough attention focused on him during the wedding to last him for months, maybe even years.

Jensen gave him a mischievous grin, “But sometimes…sometimes I sneak out.”

Jared’s eyes widened in surprise, “You do?”

“Well, sort of. We’ll be putting on disguises, and I’ll ‘borrow’ Ty’s car.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Sort of. Ty knows that we’re going to take his car, but he’ll pretend that he doesn’t. Plausible deniability with my mother. We’ll have at least two of the palace guard following us at all times, but we’ll pretend not to see them.”

Jared gave an incredulous laugh, “Does that actually work?”

Jensen looked smug, “I’ve been doing it since I was old enough to drive, and I’ve never been caught. A couple of times someone has told me how much I look like Prince Jensen, but I just laughed it off. So, are you willing to give it a try?”

Jared nodded. Jensen looked like an excited little boy, and his enthusiasm was contagious. 

“Do you have an old pair of jeans?”

Jared pulled out one of the pair that he’d brought with him. They were worn and frayed at the hems. He hesitated a minute before pulling out an old band t-shirt that had seen better days, and his favorite pair of black Chucks. “Will these work?”

“Those are perfect! Get changed; I’ll be right back.” Jensen left to change himself, and it wasn’t more than five minutes before he was back. Jared took in the soft looking jeans that fit Jensen like a second skin, and the Ackland Tigers t-shirt that pulled across his broad chest and wide shoulders. He was starting to think that Jensen could make anything look good.

Jensen handed Jared a knit cap, “Put this on and try to get all of your hair tucked up underneath,” he said as he pulled a baseball cap on his own head. 

Jared tucked his hair under as best he could, “That good?”

Jensen stepped forward, “You missed a bit,” he said softly as he tucked a strand near Jared’s ear up. He ran his hand down Jared’s jaw and neck, and Jared sucked in a sharp breath. Jensen leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Jared’s lips, when a loud knock on the door made them jump apart.

“Come in,” Jensen called.

“I’m just getting ready to head home; Anna will be here in a few minutes to pick me up. Do you need anything else?” Ty asked as he not so subtly placed his keys on the small table just inside the door.

“No, I think we’re good. I’ll see you on Monday.”

Ty shook his head with a grin, “Enjoy your weekend.”

No sooner had the door closed behind him then Jensen was across the room, grabbing the keys, “Let’s make our escape,” he said with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows.

Jensen and Jared pretended to sneak out of the palace, ducking behind pillars and in doorways whenever they heard footsteps like a couple of five year olds. They made it to the car and off the palace grounds, and Jensen let out a loud ‘whoop’ as they pulled onto a main street.

Jared looked in the rearview mirror and could see a black sedan following them, but he ignored it and focused on Jensen. “Where are we going?”

“Brian, that’s who’s having the party, has been learning to play the guitar. He has an electric, but I thought he might like an acoustic. There’s a yogurt shop right across from the music store, so I thought we’d stop there after, before heading home.”

Jensen parked on the street in front of the music store, and Jared noticed a woman on the sidewalk in front of the store who he was sure was a palace guard. He met her eyes for a second and she gave him a grin, but then quickly looked away.

Jensen looked at every guitar the store had, taking some down and strumming them, before putting them back and moving on to another. Jared watched him closely and after a few minutes asked Jensen if he played.

“Just a little. Ty is really good, and he’s taught me a few things. Do you?”

“No, I took piano lessons when I was a kid, but I wasn’t all that good. I uh, actually, I really liked to draw.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. Uncle Michael never mentioned anything about art.”

Jared busied himself with a display of packages of strings, “Yeah, he didn’t know. After…after they took me out of school, once I used up my art supplies, my parents wouldn’t buy me any more.”

Jared thought he heard Jensen growl, but when he glanced over at him, his face was carefully blank. Jensen grabbed another guitar and asked Jared what he thought of the finish in an obvious attempt to change the subject. 

They looked at guitars for another half an hour before deciding on and paying for a guitar. Jensen paid for it and put it in the trunk of the car, then took Jared’s hand and led him across the street to the yogurt shop. 

Jared’s eyes went wide as he looked around. It was a self-serve shop, with twelve different flavors of frozen yogurt taking up one wall, and two other walls holding topping after topping. “What is this place?” he asked a little breathlessly.

Jensen laughed, “First time?”

Jared snorted, “Yeah,” he said dryly.

Jensen pointed out where things were and how they worked, and he and Jared spent more than a few minutes using the small sample cups to try all twelve flavors. Finally they decided and filled their containers, then heaped on toppings until their cups were practically overflowing. The girl at the counter looked at them strangely as she handed Jensen his change, “You look familiar,” she said.

Jensen grinned, “I get that a lot,” he said before turning and leading Jared to a table in the corner. Jensen quizzed him on his art while they ate.

“It really wasn’t a big deal. Just something I used to like to do,” he said.

They talked about mediums, canvas, subjects, and before Jared knew it their cups were empty. Jensen pulled out his phone and looked at it, before excusing himself for a minute. Jared watched him walk outside and up to the same woman Jared had seen outside the music store. It was a quick conversation, and Jensen was back inside just as Jared finished taking care of their trash.

“Everything okay?”

“Everything is fine, but I have a surprise for you. Ready to go?”

“Another surprise?” Jared asked in disbelief.

“Yep,” Jensen said. “You’d better just get used to it,” he said before impulsively pressing a quick kiss to Jared’s cheek before leading him back to the car.

They drove in silence for about ten minutes. Jared spent the drive staring at the world flying past the window. It had been so long since he’d been out for an afternoon of fun; no one reprimanding him, no snide remarks, or reminders to keep his eyes on the ground. 

Jensen pulled to a stop in front of a large art store, and hurried around to open Jared’s door for him. He pulled Jared behind him into the store and grabbed a cart.  
“Where would you like to start?”

“What?”

“We’re going to replace those art supplies that your parents wouldn’t. Where should we start?”

“Jensen, you don’t have to do this. I haven’t picked up a brush or a pencil in two years. You’ve already given me so much-“

Jensen took Jared’s face in his hands, and Jared automatically dropped his eyes, “Jared, look at me.”

Jared met Jensen’s eyes. That was going to take some getting used to. Omegas instinctually dropped their eyes, and Jared’s family had made sure to reinforce that impulse. Jensen was just the opposite, and Jared forced himself to keep eye contact.

“I want to do this. When you were just telling me about your art, your eyes lit up. I’ve only seen that on your face once before, when you told me about your garden. I want to see that look as often as possible, and I’m going to do my best to put it there, okay?”

“Okay,” Jared whispered, and this time it was him who gave Jensen an impulsive kiss.

The next forty five minutes were spent comparing brushes, paper, charcoal, and pencils. Jensen picked out an easel while Jared chose a couple of books and a handful of magazines. He kept telling Jensen that they had enough, but by the time they got to the checkout they had an overflowing cart, and Jared’s arms were full.

They loaded the car and headed back toward the palace, Jared’s head spinning with all that had happened so far that day, and they still had the party to attend.  
++  
At seven o’clock Jensen and Jared got into the back of an unmarked car to head to Brian’s party; Jared was practically vibrating out of his skin with nerves. “Are you sure I’m dressed okay?” he asked nervously. He and Jensen hadn’t change after they’d gotten home from shopping.

“I promise. This is just a casual birthday party, nothing fancy.”

“Okay. Is there anything I need to know before we get there?”

Jensen squeezed Jared’s hand and didn’t let go. “Just relax and try to enjoy yourself. There’s nothing formal about it. Besides, you met almost everyone who’ll be there at the wedding.”

Jared snorted, “I couldn’t tell you the names of five of the people I met at the wedding.”

“Yeah, it was overwhelming. Let me tell you a little bit about Brian; maybe that will settle your nerves?”

“Maybe.”

“I’ve known him since middle school. I went to a private high school, but I was in public school through eighth grade. Brian’s family moved here in the middle of the school year, and we were assigned as partners in our science class. Brian didn’t figure out who I was for a couple of weeks, and by then we were friends. Once he did find out, nothing changed. We were inseparable until I left for boarding school, but even then we kept in touch. He’s never been afraid to call me on my shit, or been intimidated by my family.”

Jared looked wistful, “I had a friend like that. But anyway, what does Brian do?”

“He’s an elementary school teacher. He just bought his first house, so this is kind of a housewarming/birthday party.”

“Do you go to a lot of parties?”

“No, not really. I hang out with friends whenever I can, but we usually do that at the palace. Going to someone’s house can be a big production. The house has to be searched the day before the party, and then security has to stay on site overnight and through the party. Each guest has to be vetted in advance, and then searched.”

“If they just have their parties at the palace then they just have to be searched when they get there, and so it’s way less intrusive. Plus, I always pay to have whatever it is catered, and my friends are cheap bastards,” he said with a wink.

A few minutes later the car pulled up into a garage attached to a modest, ranch style house. Jensen grabbed the guitar and headed inside, Jared’s hand firmly in his own.

Jared took a quick glance around. The living area was open plan, and it looked like there were about a dozen people there. Jared dropped his eyes and stayed close to Jensen, and soon another pair of shoes appeared in his line of sight. 

Jensen dropped his hand, and gave the guy a one armed hug before handing him the guitar, “Happy birthday, man!”

“Gee, I wonder what this is,” the guy said dryly. “The Prince can’t afford wrapping paper?”

Jensen laughed, “Your place looks great; you’ll have to give us a tour.” He then reached behind him and gently pulled Jared forward, “You remember Jared?”

“Yeah, man, it’s nice to see you again,” Jared heard as he saw a hand reach toward him.

He glanced at Jensen from the corner of his eye, and at Jensen’s slight nod, he shook Brian’s hand, and looked up at him. “Y-you too.”

Brian sat the guitar case on the counter and opened it up, “Dude, this is awesome,” he said as he ran his hands reverently over the guitar. “Thank you so much!”

Jensen grinned, “You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to get the food and drinks set up. Why don’t you say hi, and then after we eat I’ll show you around.”

“Sounds good.”

Jensen took Jared’s hand and led him out of the kitchen and into the living room, and introduced him to everyone who was there. Jared forced himself to make eye contact, and he was relieved when everyone was open and friendly.

Brian called everyone to grab a plate of food, and Jared sat next to Jensen, eating quietly and taking in the conversations around him. The woman sitting in the chair right next to Jared, Amy, was talking to another woman, Jared couldn’t remember her name, about a trip to the Salis Islands that she’s just taken.

“Have you ever been there, Jared?” Amy asked.

Jared startled, “Uh, no.”

“What about Fairland?” the other woman asked him.

Jared ducked his head, “I haven’t really been anywhere outside of Ackland,” he said quietly.

Instead of looking down on him for his lack of experience, they both started to quiz him about where he’d like to go, and what types of things he’d like to see. When he told them that Jensen had said he could pick where they went on his honeymoon, they started giving him the pros and cons of the places newlyweds typically visited. It wasn’t long before Jared forgot his nervousness and got caught up in the discussion. 

Jensen whispered to him that he’d be right back, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“You two are so adorable,” the woman next to Amy cooed, causing Jared to blush.

“Don’t embarrass the poor guy, Sue,” Amy admonished with a laugh.

“Sorry, it’s just really nice to see Jensen so happy,” Sue said.

“Yeah?” Jared asked hesitantly.

“I’ve never seen Jensen look at anyone the way he looks at you, Jared,” Amy said.

They were interrupted when Jensen came back, “Hey Jared, I want to introduce you to someone,” he said.

Jared turned back to Amy and Sue apologetically, but they waved him away with smiles.

Jared stood up and followed Jensen back to the kitchen where a guy about Jared’s age was waiting. He was several inches shorter than Jared, with short black hair and stormy gray eyes, “This is Justin, Brian’s younger brother. Justin, this is my husband, Jared."

The two shook hands, and Jared was surprised when he realized that Justin was also an omega.

“Man, am I glad to meet you,” Justin said. “I’ve been living with Brian for three years, since I was twelve, and his parties are always so boring. Full of old people,” he said as he shot Jensen a snarky grin.

“Hey!” Jensen said in mock outrage.

Jared watched the interaction with astonishment. He would never dare speak to an alpha that way, even in jest, but Justin did it with ease, and Jensen didn’t seem to mind a bit.  
Justin turned back to Jared, “Wanna play some Halo?”

“Halo?”

“Yeah, you know, the video game.”

Jared just shook his head. He’d played a couple of old school games at friend’s houses before, but his parents had never allowed them to have any of their own.

“Madden? Call of Duty? Mario Cart?”

Jared shook his head again, feeling like an idiot.

“Dude, have you been living under a rock? You are seriously deprived. Come on, let me introduce you to the wonders of Xbox, and leave the elderly to talk about…whatever it is they talk about.”

Jared looked at Jensen, who nodded at him and gave him a soft smile.

Twenty minutes later and Jared was completely absorbed. He thought it was fifty percent the games, and fifty percent having someone like him to hang out with.  
++  
Jensen leaned back against the breakfast bar, ankles crossed and beer bottle dangling from his fingers. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there watching Jared and Justin, but he just couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was the most carefree he’d seen Jared and it both made his heart happy and sad to see it. 

Brian leaned next to him, knocking their shoulders together, and Jensen gave him a distracted smile.

“Dude, if it was possible I think you’d have those cartoon hearts dancing around your head.”

“Shut up,” Jensen replied, but he couldn’t keep the grin out of his voice.

“You really love him, don’t you?”

“I do, yeah.”

“I thought you were crazy, you know.”

“What do you mean?"

“You. You’ve been talking about Jared for a year and a half, man. ‘Uncle Michael said this’ and ‘Uncle Michael said that.’ You were half in love with the kid a year before you even met him.”

“I know,” Jensen said with a self deprecating laugh. “I guess I did sound kind of nuts, didn’t I?” 

Brian turned more serious, “I was scared you were going to be hurt. You had him built up so much in your mind, and you were so sure that you two were meant to be. I was afraid you’d meet him and, well, you know,” he trailed off for a moment. “I can see it now, though.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of stupidly gone for him.”

“It’s not just you, though. It’s him, too.”

Jensen looked at Brian in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“I watched him during the reception. It was obvious that he was terrified, but when you weren’t right next to him, he always sought you out, and when he’d see you, a little of the tension would drain away.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Jensen said. He wanted to believe that Jared was starting to return his feelings, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. “I was practically the only person he knew there.”

“No, that’s not it. Well, I’m sure that’s part of it, but that’s not all. When you two were together and you weren’t looking, he’d watch you. He’s done it tonight as well, before Justin got here. He’s not just seeking you out for comfort, there’s real warmth there, and it’s stronger tonight than it was last weekend.”

Jensen looked over at Jared who was listening intently as Justin explained something about the game. Jared glanced up and caught Jensen’s eye, and gave him a shy smile before turning his attention back to Justin.

“I hope so. I just want to make him happy; he deserves so much.”

“Just keep being patient. I’m sure you’ll get there,” Brian laughed. “Now that we’re done talking about our feelings and braiding each other’s hair, let’s drink some beer and try acting like men for a change.”

Jensen laughed, and looked back at Jared. He knew that Brian wasn’t the only one who had thought he was crazy for falling in love with someone he’d never met, and he was glad he was proving them wrong.  
++  
The ride back to the palace was quiet, both Jensen and Jared lost in thought. So much had changed for Jared in three weeks that it was hard to sort his thoughts. He’d actually had fun at Brian’s party, and it was such a foreign experience that he wasn’t quite sure how to process it. Jensen’s friends had been nice, and as far as he could tell it wasn’t just an act put on for Jensen’s benefit. Amy and Sue had seemed genuinely interested in talking to him, even though he didn’t think that he’d had much of anything interesting to add to their conversation, and Justin had been great. 

It had been so long since Jared had been able to just hang out with someone his own age (and he definitely was going to ask Jensen, or maybe Matt, if there was an Xbox somewhere in the palace). He was still having a hard time reconciling Justin’s attitude and behavior with the way Jared had been taught to present himself as an omega. Jared never would have been allowed to attend Cole’s birthday party, let alone interact so freely with alphas and betas alike.

Justin had told him that his parents had been killed in a car accident when he was twelve, and he’d been living with his brother since then. He and Brian had both been surprised when they’d found out a year ago that Justin was an omega, but he said that it hadn’t really changed much. He went to a different school, one that was only for omegas, but from what Jared could tell most of the academics were the same as any other high school; they just added child care and home ec to the curriculum. Justin still had friends from before who he hung out with on a regular basis. He’d said that he had lost some friends, a few who were uncomfortable with his new status, and a few who had parents like Jared’s who didn’t want their kids associating with an omega, but he’d quickly replaced them with kids from his new school.

Jared couldn’t even imagine what Justin’s life was like. It was about as far opposite from Jared’s as you could get. Jared had felt a pang of bitterness and jealousy as he’d listened, but then he’d glanced over and caught Jensen watching him, and he couldn’t really complain about where he’d wound up.

Jared pulled himself from his musings as they got to his bedroom door.

“So, uh, you had a good time tonight?” Jensen asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. It amazed Jared that he could be responsible for making his alpha nervous.

“I did. Thank you for taking me. I was wondering,” he paused.  
“Wondering what?”

 

Speaking freely and asking questions of Jensen whenever he wanted was another thing that Jared was going to have to get used to, “Do you think I could maybe hang out with Justin again sometime?”

Jensen smiled, “Absolutely.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, goodnight. I had a really great time with you today Jared,” Jensen said as he started backing toward his own bedroom door. 

Jared watched him until he was opening the door to his room before he blurted, “Jensen?”

“Yeah?” Jensen asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Do you,” Jared cleared his throat and shuffled his feet a bit before forcing himself to look Jensen square in the eye, “You could sleep in here. With me. If you want?”

“You sure?”

Jared nodded, and Jensen smiled one of those big smiles that Jared was coming to love, “Okay. Let me get changed and I’ll be right over.”  
++  
Jared woke up curled into Jensen’s side, warm, content, and…hard, his erection pressed firmly into Jensen’s hip. He sucked in a sharp breath and then froze, praying that Jensen wouldn’t wake up. He lay as still as he could for what felt like ages, but was probably no more than a minute. Jensen’s breathing remained deep and even, and Jared started the slow process of backing away and getting out of bed. Once his feet hit the floor he quickly made his way across the room and into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly but quietly behind him. He got in the shower and it only took a few strokes of his hand to bring himself off, Jensen’s warm body the only thought on his mind.

When he was finished in the bathroom he was relieved to find that the bed was empty and Jensen was gone. He dressed and was debating about going to get some breakfast when Jensen returned, his hair damp from the shower and dripping on to the collar of his shirt. Just seeing him made Jared blush.

“Ready for some breakfast?” Jared nodded and they headed to the dining room. 

The Queen was just finishing when they arrived, and she asked if she could speak to Jensen privately for a moment.

“I’ll be right there, mother,” he said before turning to Jared. “Go ahead and get started without me,” he said before pressing a kiss to Jared’s cheek. He then leaned in just a bit closer and whispered, “I could have helped you out with that this morning.” He stepped back and winked at Jared before following his mother into the hall.

Jared stood there, mouth hanging open, cheeks on fire, and his pants suddenly feeling a bit too tight. He was glad he was wearing a long t-shirt when one of the kitchen assistants came in with coffee and juice.

“Are you okay, sir?” 

Jared nodded quickly, and hastily sat down, draping a linen napkin over his lap.

Jensen wasn’t gone for more than a couple of minutes, and he joined Jared at the table just as breakfast was being served. Jared was relieved when Jensen just smirked at him for a second before saying, “Mother wanted to know if it would be too much if we had our usual monthly dinner with Uncle Michael today; I told her that I didn’t think you’d mind.”

Jared smiled, “I’d love to see Mr. Reynolds again.”

“That’s what I thought. She also suggested that we invite Brian and Justin. What do you think?”

Jared wasn’t used to having his opinion sought out, and he was pleasantly surprised each time Jensen asked for his input, “That would be great.”

“Good; I’ll give Brian a call after we eat.”  
++  
After breakfast Jensen took Jared to the solarium. It was a large, round room full of plants and statuary, with an intricate water fountain in the middle. They crossed the room and went through a doorway partially hidden behind a large ficus tree. The door opened into a room about eight by eight, with two walls of floor to ceiling windows and a large skylight. The wall next to the door was covered with floor to ceiling cabinets, and the fourth wall had a granite counter top with a sink in the middle, and cabinets above and below. It wasn’t humid like the solarium, and the lingering smell of cleanser indicated that it had recently been cleaned.

“Ta da,” Jensen said, looking at Jared expectantly.

“Uh…” Jared had no idea what they were doing there. “It’s…really nice?”

Jensen laughed, “This used to be the gardener’s office, but it hasn’t been used in years. I had it emptied and cleaned out, and I thought it would make a perfect art studio for you.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Jensen’s face fell, “You don’t like it?”

“What? No! I mean, yes, I like it, I just…” Jared looked around the room again, but this time imaging the supplies Jensen had gotten him set up, “this is really for me?”

“Only if you like it. We do actually have a small art studio, but I thought if you used this you could fix it up however you wanted. Plus, I thought you might like it because it’s right next to the solarium. So, what do you think?”

Jared didn’t even think, just stepped to Jensen and pulling him into a hug, which Jensen enthusiastically returned, “Does this meant that you like it?” he asked with a chuckle.

Jared stepped back, fighting against both his need to drop his eyes and the heat of the blush he could feel on his cheeks, “I love it. I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.”

“No, I do. You don’t know Jensen,” Jared said. He swallowed against the lump in his throat, and blinked his eyes against the tears he could feel building.

“Oh, Jared, don’t cry,” Jensen said, his voice laced with concern.

Jared wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, “I’m not crying,” he protested despite the evidence to the contrary. “I just…no one has treated me like a person in so long, and you and your family and friends are so much better, so much nicer than I ever could have expected.”

He took a deep breath and gestured around the room, “But mostly it’s you. You’re so thoughtful and patient. You haven’t pressured me into,” he made a hand movement that Jensen thought was supposed to mean sex, “anything. It’s all just a little overwhelming, but in a good way. In a way that I never thought I’d get.” He was feeling bold, Jensen’s kindness and generosity making him feel warm inside, and the sun was glinting through the windows, tipping Jensen’s hair in gold, highlighting his freckles, and making the green of his eyes twinkle, and Jared was suddenly reminded of waking up in bed with him that morning, and the fact that he was a seventeen year old boy.

He stepped into Jensen’s face and put one hand on his shoulder, and traced along the bridge of his nose with the other, “You have freckles,” he whispered, before he pressed his lips to Jensen’s. When he pulled back Jensen’s eyes were wide with shock, but he was smiling.

“And you have dimples,” Jensen said as he gently poked at Jared’s cheek, and then slid his arms around Jared’s waist.

Jared found that when he was that close, surrounded by Jensen, feeling safe and protected, that it wasn’t that difficult to stare into Jensen’s eyes.

“I’m going to kiss you now, okay?” Jensen whispered.

Jared nodded, and Jensen covered Jared’s lips with his own. It was like nothing Jared had ever experienced. Jensen’s lips moved firmly and confidently over his own, Jensen’s hand tilting Jared’s head just a bit so that their lips fit perfectly together. Just when Jared thought it couldn’t get any better, Jensen’s tongue traced Jared’s lips, and Jared opened his mouth, letting Jensen in.

They kissed for long minutes, and parted when the need for a full breath forced them apart. Jensen still held Jared close though, and Jared was both surprised and pleased to feel Jensen’s erection pressed into his hip.

Jensen pressed one more quick kiss to his lips before stepping back, “Let’s get your supplies and get them set up in here.”

Jared agreed, “Sounds like a plan.”  
++  
Dinner had gone very well, much better than Jared had expected. It was a bit more formal than eating with just Jensen, but it was worth it to see Mr. Reynolds (‘Please, call me Michael, Jared.’) again. He’d been a bit uncomfortable having a piece from his old life dropped into his new, but the initial awkwardness quickly faded away.

After the last of the meal had been cleared away, Justin spoke up, “Jensen, is it okay if Jared and I go to the media room for a while?”

Jared knew he should stop being surprised, but Justin’s openness with Jensen was startling. 

“Yeah, of course.”

“Come on man, you haven’t played video games until you’ve played them in the palace media room.”

“We’re not going to be here too much longer; you have school in the morning,” Brian called after them. Justin rolled his eyes and pulled Jared down the hall.

The media room was a place Jared hadn’t spent much time, and when he said as much to Justin, Justin looked at him like he was crazy.

“Dude! This is like the best room in the palace!”

“I don’t really know how to use anything in here,” Jared said a bit sheepishly. “I didn’t even know there were gaming systems in here.”

“There is every gaming system in here. It’s like heaven,” Justin said a bit wistfully. “But we’ll start simple. I’ll show you the Xbox and how to set it up. Then, next time I’ll show you another one. Sound good?”

Jared nodded enthusiastically, but it had more to do with the fact that there would be a next time than the actual games.

Once Jared had the setup down, they played Halo for about thirty minutes before Justin abruptly paused the game and turned to Jared, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“This is kinda embarrassing, and I don’t want to ask the guys at school. They’d never let me live it down, and-“

“Take a breath. You can ask me whatever you want.”

Justin set the controller down and nervously wiped his palms on his jeans, “This is dumb,” he said with a small laugh. “I just…what’s it like?”

“What’s what like?”

“Sex. With an alpha. What’s sex like with an alpha?”

Now it was Jared’s turn to be nervous, “I don’t know.”

“Uh, what? What do you mean you don’t know?”

Jared started to fidget nervously with his game controller, and didn’t say anything.

“Jared. Dude,” Justin said, all traces of nervousness gone from his voice, “Are you telling me that you haven’t had sex with Jensen?”

“Yes,” Jared said with an uneasy chuckle.

“But…but why not? I mean, you don’t have to answer that. Sorry. Sorry.”

Jared glanced around, “No, that’s okay. I actually wouldn’t mind talking about it, but you have to promise you won’t say anything to your brother.”

Justin seemed to get the gravity of the situation and quickly went from incredulous to serious, “I won’t, I swear.”

“I just…I’ve never had anyone to talk to about this stuff, you know?”

Justin nodded, “You were homeschooled, right? By Mr. Reynolds?”

“Yeah. Once my parents found out I was an omega they pulled me from school, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to about any of this.”

“I’m sure Mr. Reynolds would have answered your questions,” Justin said with a grin.

“Ugh! He’s…old!” Jared laughed. “You probably heard about my family?”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine what living with them was like.”

Jared dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand, “Anyway, so I didn’t have anyone to talk to about this, but my brother and sister, they were always telling me that…that when an alpha bought me I wouldn’t be…that I wouldn’t be a person. That I’d just be a…a…that I’d live in a bedroom and my alpha would just use me like a toy.”

“Shit. My parents were kind of old school, but nothing like that.”

“Yeah, but then I met Jensen, and it’s nothing like what I expected.”

“But that’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah, believe me, I’m not complaining. The first couple of nights I kept waiting for Jensen to do something, to force himself on me, but he hasn’t.”

“Nothing?”

“Well, we’ve uh, kissed.”

“And?”

“And we’ve slept together a couple of nights.”

“Slept together?”

“Yes, as in slept in the same bed.”

“You think you’re ready for more?”

“I think I’m getting there. Jensen, he’s…he’s kind of amazing.”

“And hot, don’t forget that.”

“Hey, that’s my husband you’re talking about,” Jared said with a laugh, as he punched Justin playfully in the arm.

“Yeah, your super hot husband,” Justin taunted.

“Oh, it’s on!” said Jared as he tackled Justin to the floor. They were laughing and wrestling when Jensen and Brian came in.

“What’s going on in here?” Jensen asked with a laugh.

Before Jared even had time to panic, Justin said, “Oh, we were just talking about how hot-“

Jared slapped his hand over Justin’s mouth, “Nothing! We were just talking about nothing!” Justin pushed Jared off of him, and laughed.

“Come on kid, it’s time to go home,” Brian said.

“See ya’, Jared. Bye Jensen,” Justin said before letting out a squawk as Brian pulled him into a headlock and pulled him out the door.

Jared slowly stood up, “Sorry about that,” he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor. He didn’t think that Jensen would care that he’d been goofing around with Justin, but he knew his father would have never tolerated that type of behavior from an omega.

“Jared, look at me,” Jensen said.

Jared raised his eyes and was rewarded with a smile. “You don’t have to be sorry. Brian and I have spent more than our fair share of time trying to one up each other in here. I’m really glad that you and Justin are getting along so well.”

“Yeah?” Jared asked hopefully.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s head to bed,” Jensen said reaching out and lacing his fingers with Jared’s.

As they stepped into the hallway Jensen said, “You two wouldn’t have happened to be talking about how hot your husband is, would you?” 

Jared groaned as he felt his face heat, “Shut up,” he muttered. Jensen just laughed.  
++  
Two weeks later found Jared kneeling in the dirt of his freshly tilled garden, planting rows of vegetables. He’d been living in the palace for about a month, and he was settling in well. Jensen had cut back his work schedule as he’d promised, but a treaty crisis with a neighboring territory had had him busy for the last couple of days.

They’d been spending as much time together as possible, and had shared Jared’s bed each night though they hadn’t progressed to more than kissing, and Jared had surprised himself by feeling a little frustrated. He was ready for more, but he didn’t know how to tell Jensen. He’d talked about it with Justin the previous weekend, but his advice of ‘just tell him, dumbass’ hadn’t really helped.

He dug his hands into the soil. He was almost done with the planting; it wasn’t going to be a huge garden, but the kitchen staff had seemed excited about the prospect of vegetables, and later on herbs. Between the garden and setting up his small art studio, Jared had been keeping himself busy. Jensen had asked him if there was anything else he’d like to do, and Jared had been playing with the idea of taking a couple of college courses online. He hadn’t told Jensen that yet, but he’d asked Matt to get him a few brochures. 

He sat back on his heels and wiped the sweat from his brow, pushing his hair behind his ears. He was wearing boots, old jeans, and a white tank. It was late afternoon and he was done for the day. He pushed up from the ground and stretched his back before gathering his tools and heading to the gardening shed. He cleaned and put away his tools; when he turned to head into the palace to shower he was startled to find Jensen behind him.

“Jensen,” Jared said with a pleased smile, “you surprised me. I thought you weren’t going to be done before dinner.”

“Got done early,” Jensen said distractedly as his gaze swept over Jared from head to toe.

Jared blushed under the scrutiny, and when Jensen didn’t say anything else he started to get a little nervous. “I uh, I was just going to go take a shower. I would have gotten cleaned up earlier if I’d known you were done.”

Jensen still didn’t say anything, but he did step closer to Jared, and Jared might not have much experience, but he knew what that look meant, and it both excited and scared him. “Jensen?”

Jensen shook his head a little before glancing around and then crowding Jared inside the shed. He closed the door behind them, and then pulled Jared to him by the hips, turning them and pressing Jared against the door.

Jared’s breath quickened, and he felt himself start to harden as Jensen claimed his mouth in a possessive kiss. Jared didn’t know what to do with his hands, and when Jensen pressed closer he was reminded of the fact that he was covered in sweat and dirt. He reluctantly broke the kiss, “Jensen, I’m going to get you dirty.”

Jensen shrugged his suit coat off and let it drop to the floor, then loosened his tie, “I don’t care. I have a closet full of suits.”

Jensen stepped back in, pressing their bodies together and kissing from behind Jared’s ear to the top of his shoulder, and back to the base of his neck. Jared’s head thunked back against the door as Jensen started sucking a bruise into his neck.

“J-Jensen,” Jared stuttered, “someone might see if you leave a mark.”

Jensen fisted Jared’s hair and pulled his head to the side before biting at the spot, then pressing his lips against Jared’s ear. “Good. I want everyone to see, to see that you’re mine.”

The heat of Jensen’s breath and the timber of his voice sent a shiver down Jared’s body.

“Can I touch you, Jared?”

Jared tried to answer, but the feel of Jensen, the heat of his body, the possessiveness of his hands, and the growl in his voice took away Jared’s ability to form words. Instead, he just nodded his head. Jensen let go of his hair, and as he took Jared’s mouth in another kiss, his hand trailed down Jared’s body, from his neck to the waistband of his jeans.

Jared whimpered into Jensen’s mouth as he realized what was going to happen, and the sound seemed to spur Jensen on, and he rocked his hips into Jared, rubbing his erection against Jared’s hip as his hand cupped Jared through his jeans.

It was too much, too good, and Jared couldn’t stop himself; his body jerked and his breath whooshed out of his chest as his orgasm blindsided him. He felt Jensen freeze, and Jared had just enough presence of mind to start to feel mortified.

“Oh shit. Oh shit, Jared. Did you..?” Jensen panted out.

Jared choked a little, embarrassment clogging his throat, “Yes, I’m sorr-“

Jensen pushed back against him, frantically rubbing himself off on Jared’s hip, as he buried his face in Jared’s neck, murmuring, “So fucking hot. I hardly even…you’re so fucking hot.”

Jared almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Jensen’s words and the frenzied way he was rutting against Jared made it obvious that Jensen didn’t have a problem with Jared’s lack of stamina. The feeling made him bold, and he slid one of his legs between Jensen’s, and then grabbed his hips and pulled Jensen even tighter against him, and before he knew it he felt Jensen tense up before he let out a low groan, and practically melted against Jared’s body.

They stood pressed together until their breathing returned to normal, and Jared felt the daring leaving him as embarrassment once again took over. Jensen pulled back just far enough to look at Jared, but Jared kept his eyes down as he felt his face burn.

Jensen gently cupped his cheek, “Hey, look at me. Please?”

Jared met Jensen’s eyes, and he wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see: disappointment, condemnation maybe, but all he saw was concern.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Jensen looked at him incredulously, “For what?”

“For,” Jared gestured to the front of his pants, “for coming in my pants like a teenager before you even really touched me.”

Jensen laughed a little, before pulling Jared into a kiss. “Trust me, you have nothing to be sorry for. And, you are a teenager,” he said teasingly.

Jared smiled hesitantly, “So you’re not…disappointed?”

Jensen snorted, “No. That? Was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Now, didn’t you say something about needing to take a shower?” Jensen asked as he grabbed his suit coat.

“Yeah. Especially now,” Jared said with a wince as he glanced down at the wet spot soaking through his pants. 

Jensen grinned, “I do, too. My husband dragged me into the potting shed and got me all dirty,” he said with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows.

“Hey!” Jared protested, “I tried to warn you.”

“Well, as Prince, it’s my duty to preserve the resources of this fine kingdom. Showering together would save on water, don’t you think?”

Jared laughed as Jensen grabbed his hand and headed to their rooms.  
++  
“What’s this?” Jensen asked as he picked up a brochure from Jared’s work bench. 

Jared was carefully arranging tubes of acrylics. It had been raining for two days, and so he’d switched his attention from his garden to his art studio. 

“What’s what?” he asked distractedly, before glancing up and seeing the pamphlet in Jensen’s hand.

It had been two weeks since their first time in the garden shed, and while Jared’s confidence in both himself and Jensen was growing, he still had a long way to go. They had shared a bed every night since then, and the door between their rooms had remained permanently open.

There had been more touching, more kissing, more intimacy, and Jared could happily say that he could last for more than thirty seconds when Jensen got his hands on him. After the first week, Jared had gathered his courage and instead of just watching Jensen jerk himself off, he’d reached down, batted Jensen’s hand away, and done it himself. Jensen had come almost on the spot, and Jared had felt a rush of strength at his reaction.

Still, it was situations like this one that had Jared back to being unsure of himself and his relationship with his alpha. “Uh, nothing really. Just something Matt picked up. Do you think this is a good place for these?” Jared asked, trying to change the subject.

Jensen put the brochure aside and crossed to Jared, taking the tubes of paint from him and then holding his hands, “I know you’re trying to change the subject,” he said softly.  
“I’m not-“ Jared broke off with a sigh. “Maybe a little.”

“Why? That’s a brochure from AU; are you interested in going to school?”

“No. Yes. Maybe?”

“Well that clears that up,” Jensen laughed. 

“I just…you’d let me?”

“Of course I would; why wouldn’t I?”

“I always assumed I’d go to college, but then after I found out I was omega my family made it very clear that wasn’t an option. They told me that the only classes I’d be taking would be childcare. After a while I gave up on even dreaming of going to school, and only let myself see me in the future as a father.” Jared broke away from Jensen and walked to the windows, starting out at the rain. Jensen followed and pulled Jared into his arms.

Jared relaxed back against Jensen’s chest, and put his hands on Jensen’s where they rested just above his belt buckle. “And I want that, and it’s not just my biology talking. Or maybe it is, but not in a bad way. I want to be a dad, just…”

“Not now?” Jensen asked quietly.

“That’s not my decision to make,” Jared said, his voice full of resignation.

Jensen carefully spun Jared around to face him, and tenderly took his face between his hands, “That is your decision to make. You know I want children, and I’ll admit that I’m relieved to hear you say that you want them, too, but I would never ask you to become a parent before you were ready. You’re not even eighteen yet; there’s no rush.”

“I know that you keep saying that, and I want to believe you, but it’s a big change in thinking.”

“I’ll keep saying it until you believe me. I’m not sure that I’m ready for children yet myself, and I know that I wasn’t at eighteen. I want to give you a chance to become who you’re meant to be, and for us to get to know each other.”

Jared pressed a kiss to Jensen’s lips, “You’ve already given me so much more than I ever thought I’d get. I don’t want to ask for more.”

“Jared you haven’t asked for anything. This?” Jensen gestured around the room, “and the garden, you didn’t ask for either one. It’s okay to ask for things. I want you to be happy, and if going to school is something you want, then we’ll make it happen.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I promise. It won’t be easy though. AU is a progressive school, but there are still limitations in place for omegas. Plus, being my husband would place additional restrictions on you.”

“Like what?”

“Security mainly. You wouldn’t be able to have the typical college experience. You’d have to have palace guards with you, and the professors and students would have to constantly be screened,” Jensen explained apologetically.

“I’ve actually thought about that a little. I don’t want the typical experience. Parties, dorms, those are things I used to want, but now those don’t appeal to me. I think it would be overwhelming, even if I wasn’t married to a Prince. I think it’s a combination of being omega and being basically locked away for two years, but I don’t want to be the center of attention. So I was thinking of maybe taking an online class to start, just to see?” He looked around the room wistfully. “Though I would like to take some art classes. I don’t want all of these supplies to go to waste.”

“What if you enrolled in an online class, and I brought an art teacher to you?”

Jared looked hopeful, “Yeah?”

“Sure. What kind of classes were you thinking of?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe just general ed? Nothing too difficult the first time around.”

“That’s a good idea. How about if I have Ty arrange for us to meet with an advisor at AU and the director of the Art Institute of Ackland?”

Jared just nodded, not sure that he could find the words to convey what he was feeling.

Jensen grinned, “And as long as we’re making plans, have you thought more about where you’d like to go on our honeymoon?”

There was a knock on the open door before Jared could answer, and Ty stepped inside, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but your mother has requested that you both join her for lunch.”

“Thank you Ty; we’ll be right there.”

Ty nodded before leaving, and Jensen smiled at Jared, “We’ll finish setting up later, okay?”

“Of course,” Jared said. He glanced over his shoulder as they left the room, hardly able to believe that this was his life.  
32.  
“You’re kicking us out?” Jensen asked.

“Jensen, dear,” his mother said with a long suffering sigh, “don’t be so dramatic.” She winked at Jared who stifled a laugh with his hand.

Jensen glared at him before turning back to his mother, “You just said that you wanted us to meet with a realtor.”

“Yes, I did. That doesn’t mean that we’re kicking you out. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, but your father and I just thought that you and Jared might like a bit more privacy, and a place to call your own. If not now then down the road when you’re ready to start a family.”

“Oh, well…” Jensen trailed off sheepishly.

“Yes, ‘oh well.’ Jared, I’m glad that I won’t be alone in dealing with your husband’s hysterics any longer.”

“Hey!” Jensen protested, but the Queen went on as if he hadn’t spoken.

“Most of the time he’s a charming and patient young man, but every once in a while he reverts back to the little boy whose older brother had taken his favorite toy.”

“I’m right here!”

“That you are dear,” his mother said, patting his hand placatingly.

Jared couldn’t hold back his laugh this time, “I appreciate the warning, ma’am.”

“One day I’ll have you calling me Mallory,” she said with a smile. “We do have a few of the royal properties that are available. I know that you were always partial to Grenwald Cottage, but if you wanted to purchase something else, or even have something built, we thought that you might want to meet with someone to find out your options.”

“Plus, your brother will be finishing his time with the Army soon, and unlike you he will be required to live here. It’s not that there isn’t plenty of room for all of us, but we wanted you to have the option.”

“You’re right. It’s something that I hadn’t really given much thought. Grenwald would be available?”

“Absolutely. Maybe you and Jared should plan to stay there for a week or so; show him what it is you love about it, and decide if it would make a suitable home for you.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I forgive you for saying you were going to kick us out,” Jensen said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Jared watched Jensen and his mother tease each other affectionately. It helped put him at ease in the Queen’s company, and it made him feel a little more at home.  
++  
After dinner that evening Jensen asked Jared to come to his rooms. He led Jared into his office and gestured to a low couch before pulling a photo album from a shelf and sitting next to Jared. He opened the album across their laps and flipped a few pages until he came to what he was looking for.

“This is Grenwald. It’s only about forty minutes from here and we used to spend a lot of time there when Patrick and I were children.”

Jared carefully studied each picture. Cottage was a relative term; the building was made of stone, and appeared to be two storeys, with large, arched windows, and a peaked, slate roof. A circular drive in front of the house surrounded a stone fountain, and there was a four-car garage off to one side. There was a grassy area on either side of the cottage. Jared turned a couple of pages until he got to the back of the cottage. There was a large swimming pool with an elaborate patio and outdoor kitchen between it and the house. 

“There’s six bedrooms plus a nursery, a library, a small conservatory, a couple of sitting rooms. There’s also a gym and a media room. It’s difficult to tell from these pictures, but there are two apartments over the garage for staff.”

“That…is not a cottage,” Jared said, making Jensen laugh.

“You just have to keep it in perspective. Compared to the palace, it is a cottage. The entire property is surrounded by trees, and beyond those a security fence, and there is plenty of space for a garden or two. It’s been updated since I was a child, but my mother was very insistent that it keep its original character.”

“It’s gorgeous, Jensen.”

“Would you like to visit? Maybe stay for a few days?”

“Yes, of course.”

“But you have to promise me that if you don’t like it, you’ll tell me. I want us both to be happy and comfortable in our home.”

“I promise,” Jared said, leaning forward to give Jensen a kiss.

Jensen sat the album aside and pulled Jared to him, deepening the kiss. They broke apart and Jensen asked, “May I see you, Jared?”

Jared nodded yes and let Jensen pull his shirt over his head. They’d showered together after that day in the garden shed, but it had been rushed and there hadn’t really been time to explore. Each time since then they’d either been under the covers in bed, or had just pushed clothing aside. Jensen started pulling Jared back toward him, but Jared stopped him with a hand on his chest, “You too,” he whispered, pulling at the hem of Jensen’s shirt.

Jensen pulled his own shirt off and tossed it aside and then they were pressed together, bare chest to bare chest and it was so much better than Jared thought just a bit of skin to skin contact should be. Jensen ran his hands up and down Jared’s back, and after a few hesitant seconds Jared did the same as they kissed.

Jensen reached for the fastening on Jared’s pants and Jared brought his hands down on Jensen’s indicating that it was okay. Jensen unbuttoned and unzipped before urging Jared to lift his hips so he could slide his pants down and off, leaving Jared in only a pair of tight, black boxer briefs. Jensen stared at him hungrily while clumsily taking off his own pants.

He pushed Jared gently back until he was laid out along the length of the couch, and then blanketed Jared’s body with his own. Jared spread his legs, letting Jensen settle in between, and when their erections nudged together through the cotton of their underwear they both groaned. 

Jensen stared down at Jared, one hand on the side of his neck and the other running absently through his hair, “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, okay? Just say the word and I’ll stop, and I promise that I won’t be mad.”

Jared nodded and slowly rested one hand on Jensen’s hip while using the other on the back of Jensen’s neck to draw him into a kiss. Jared lost himself in the feel of Jensen, from his lips to the way his body was pressed so perfectly against his own. 

Jensen kissed over Jared’s jaw and down his neck, taking time to renew the bruise he seemed to like to see against the skin of Jared’s neck. He worked his way down Jared’s chest and belly, making Jared let out an involuntary giggle as he found a ticklish spot just above his hip bone.

Jensen moved even lower, running his tongue along and just under the waistband of Jared’s underwear before glancing up at Jared, a question in his eye. Jared sucked in a breath and nodded before dropping his head back. He knew that whatever it was Jensen was planning would have him over the edge quickly, and if he had to watch, well he wanted to be able to enjoy it for at least a few minutes.

Jensen mouthed over Jared’s erection before sitting up and carefully pulling his briefs off. He stared down at Jared hungrily, just long enough for Jared to start to squirm under the scrutiny. Jensen ran his hands up Jared’s legs and whispered, “you’re perfect” before leaning back down and placing feather light kisses over the inside of each of Jared’s thighs.

Jared’s breath came in quick, hard pants, and he clenched his hands into fists next to himself and a low, long moan escaped when Jensen nosed at the sensitive area at the top, inside of his thigh. Jensen slowly licked up the length of Jared’s cock, causing Jared to jerk at the almost overwhelming sensation. Jensen gently took the head into his mouth and held it there for a few seconds, waiting for Jared to get himself under control just a bit before he slowly took him as far into his mouth as possible, starting to bob his head up and down, taking Jared almost to the base each time.

Jared had never felt anything like it and he felt his balls draw up and his muscles tense. “Jensen, Je-Jense…I’m gonna…”

Jensen just increased his efforts and Jared felt his muscles lock up before wave after wave of pleasure washed through him. Jensen worked Jared through it, and before Jared could even think of reciprocating Jensen sat up and pushed his own briefs down and began to strip his own cock. It wasn’t long before he erupted over his fist and Jared’s belly.  
Jensen dropped down on his side between Jared’s body and the back of the couch, and Jared watched him as he brought his breathing back under control. When he was able Jensen caught Jared’s lips in a slow, lazy kiss while he absently rubbed his own come into the skin of Jared’s belly.

After a few minutes Jensen pulled back and rested his forehead against Jared’s, “Was that okay?”

Jared laughed a little, “Uh, yeah. I’m not sure that okay is an adequate word for it.”

“You’re amazing, Jared. I can’t believe…thank you for giving me a chance.”

Jared blushed and settled closer to his husband, his alpha, more content that he’d ever dreamed possible.

33.  
Jensen put Ty to work on getting Grenwald ready for their stay. It wouldn’t take much; the house was closed but was kept well maintained, and in the meantime he and Jared tried to work out where to go on their honeymoon, and get more information on school for Jared.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and Jared and Jensen had an appointment with an academic advisor at AU. They tried to keep their arrival on campus as inconspicuous as possible, but pulling up in front of the admin building in a royal Town Car tended to draw attention.

Jared and Jensen were ushered into a waiting room where they were greeted by a friendly receptionist who seemed to take their presence in stride. “Good afternoon,” she said with a slight bow of her head. 

“Good afternoon,” Jensen smiled. “I’m Jensen, and this is my husband, Jared. We have an appointment with Ms. Andrews.”

“I apologize but Ms. Andrews was called away with a family emergency just a bit ago. However, our other counselor, Mr. Hammond is finishing up with a student right now and can see you at the same time you were scheduled. Ms. Andrews asked me to pass along her deepest regrets. We tried to contact you but your assistant said that you were already on your way.”

Jensen smiled, “That’s fine; I know we’re a bit early so there’s no need for him to cut his current appointment short. I hope that everything will be fine with Ms. Andrews.”

Jared and Jensen each took a seat and Jared could see the palace guard just outside the door. Jensen’s phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen before looking apologetically at Jared, “It’s Patrick. I’d better take it. Will you be okay?”

Jared nodded and watched Jensen step outside. It wasn’t more than thirty seconds later that Mr. Hammond’s office door opened and a young man stepped out. His steps faltered when he saw Jared but thankfully he kept going.

“Send in the next student, Grace,” a bored voice called.

“Certainly sir, but I think you’ll want the file-“

“I don’t need a file,” the voice snapped, “just send the kid in.”

Grace gave Jared an apologetic smile. Jared glanced out the door and saw that Jensen was still on the phone. He debated waiting but decided to go ahead.

He stepped into the office and the man behind the desk didn’t even look up, just grunted and gave a vague hand gesture that Jared took to mean he should sit down. The office was filled with heavy, dark furniture, with deep red carpet and wall to wall bookcases. The shades were drawn over the windows behind the desk and the desk itself was cluttered with files and books.

Mr. Hammond finished writing something and closed the file, pushing it to the side, and it was only then that he glanced up. Jared wasn’t sure if he wanted the man to recognize him or not.

“You’re an omega,” the man said with distaste.

“Yes, sir-“

“What are you doing here? I thought this appointment was for a student who wanted to enroll.”

Jared felt his cheeks heat and he dropped his eyes, “It is, sir. I mean, I am.”

“We don’t offer home ec classes boy. Why don’t you focus on finding an alpha to serve instead of wasting my time.”

“My alpha is just outside taking a phone call. He should be right in,” Jared said quietly, not sure what to do.

Mr. Hammond snorted, “So, what, he’s just trying to find something to fill your time? You must not be much of an omega if he’s so sick of you that he wants to pay for schooling for you just to get you out of his hair. Is there something wrong with you?”

“What did you just say?” Jensen said from the doorway. “I’m sure I must have misunderstood.” Jensen came to stand directly behind Jared and placed his hands on his shoulders.

“Are you his alpha?” Mr. Hammond sneered.

“Yes I am.”

It was then that Mr. Hammond seemed to get a good look at to whom he was speaking; his eyes went wide and he stood up so quickly that his desk chair crashed loudly into the wall behind him.

“Your Highness I apologize. I had no idea that this omega belonged to you. Please have a seat. What can I help you with?”

Jensen remained standing and Jared was immensely happy that he wasn’t the one to whom Jensen’s icy tone was directed, “So you’re saying that if Jared wasn’t my husband you’d have continued to treat him with such disrespect?”

“What? I…no, of course not. I just…we don’t really offer classes that would be beneficial to an omega,” he finished weakly.

“Is that right?” Jensen asked.

Mr. Hammond’s face was almost purple and Jared could see a vein pulsing in his temple. “I’m sure that we could find something suitable to entertain the omega. If you’d just have a seat, Prince-“

“My husband’s name is Jared and he’s not here to be entertained. He’s here because he wants to further his education. It’s obvious that we’ve come to the wrong place though,” Jensen dismissed Mr. Hammond entirely and turned to Jared with a smile, “Are you ready to go?”

Jared glanced at Mr. Hammond who looked like he was about to be sick and then back to Jensen, “Yes,” he said as he stood and followed Jensen from the office.

They were almost to the door when they heard a crash and what sounded like books hitting the floor and Mr. Hammond rushed out into the waiting room, “Please, Sir, I’m sure that I can help you…”

Jensen turned back, “And I’m sure that you cannot.” Jensen held the door for Jared and they started for the stairs. Just before the door closed behind them they heard Mr. Hammond begin to berate the secretary and Jared flinched; she shouldn’t get in trouble over him.

“She tried to tell him who I was but he wouldn’t listen,” Jared said quietly.

Jensen walked back into the office, Jared right behind him. Jared felt awful when he saw that Grace was trying to hold back tears. 

“Excuse me,” Jensen said to Grace, completely ignoring Mr. Hammond. “Could you please get the Dean of Admissions on the phone for me?”

“Certainly sir,” she said.

“I really don’t think that will be necessary,” Mr. Hammond blustered.

The palace guard had followed them into the office, “Is there a problem here, Prince?” he asked, and Jared watched as the blood drained from Mr. Hammond’s face. 

“Perhaps you could escort Mr. Hammond back into his office Jonathan,” Jensen said pleasantly.

“Of course Your Highness,” he said as he walked across the room. Once Mr. Hammond had stepped into his office Jonathan stayed in the doorway, giving Jared a mischievous smile when he looked at him.

“Sir,” Grace said, “Dean McDowell for you.”

Jensen took the receiver, “Good afternoon, Dean. Would you be available to come to Mr. Hammond’s office for a moment? Excellent, thank you.”

Jensen handed the receiver back, “Does Mr. Hammond have any other appointments this afternoon?”

Grace checked his calendar, “Yes Sire; he has two more students to see today.”

“I think it would be best if you were to reschedule them with Ms. Andrew. Do you think that she’d mind if we used her office?”

“No, I’m positive that she wouldn’t.”

Jensen motioned for Jared to follow him and they stepped into the office and Jensen pulled the door closed behind them before drawing Jared into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked as he pressed a kiss to Jared’s temple.

“I-“

A knock interrupted them and Jensen opened the door to a tall woman. She had her red hair pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck and she was wearing a simple, black pantsuit. “Prince Ackles, I’m Sandra McDowell.” They shook hands and she didn’t even hesitate before introducing herself to Jared.

“Shall we sit,” Jensen asked? He took his place behind the desk, leaving the two chairs facing it for Jared and the Dean.

“Thank you for coming so quickly. I have an issue that I’d like to address with you and I felt that sooner would be better than later.”

Sandra pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head a little in frustration, “Mr. Hammond, correct?”

“I take it you’ve had difficulties with him before?”

“Unfortunately yes,” she glanced at Jared apologetically. “I’m going to assume that it was because of Mr. Padalecki’s omega status?”

“Yes. I realize that the University still has many archaic omega policies in place but I was under the impression that things were changing. The way Mr. Hammond treated my husband and then his office assistant was deplorable. As an alumni I am extremely disappointed; as a member of the royal family I am disappointed; and as a husband I am furious.”

“I understand sire. I’ve only head the position of Dean for a few months and one of the first things I noticed was that Ms. Andrews has twice the caseload of Mr. Hammond. Students will wait weeks, sometimes even months to avoid him. I reviewed several of the complaints filed against him and met with both him and Ms. Andrews. When I realized that he was letting his personal prejudices influence his work I requested a meeting with the President. However, Mr. Hammond has been here for a very long time and he has a lot of…connections.”

“I know that sounds like an excuse and I apologize for that…for all of this. I will address the issue again, both with Mr. Hammond and the President.”

“I appreciate what you’re saying and I will be following up with the president personally. Jared are you ready?”

Jared nodded and stood, the Dean following, “Again I apologize for this to both of you.”

“Thank you,” Jensen replied. “I took the liberty of having Mr. Hammond’s afternoon appointments rescheduled. Perhaps it would be possible to give Grace the rest of the afternoon off?”

“Absolutely.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Jensen said as he and Jared followed Jonathan to the car.  
++  
Jared was quiet on the ride home, while Jensen took another call from his brother. Once back at the palace Jensen excused himself to find his father and Jared headed outside. He’d explored almost all of the gardens and he’d found a favorite.

It was off to the back of the property, with tall shrubs interspersed with flowering trees and fragrant rose bushes. There was a large, stone fountain in the middle and the gurgle of water could be heard from almost anywhere on the crushed stone paths that wound around the trees and shrubs. Jared had found a large, smooth boulder nestled at the base of an ancient oak tree, and when he disappeared into the garden it had become the first place Jensen would look for him.

Jared settled down, the events of the afternoon playing over and over in his mind. Seeing Jensen in control, being professional and so confident had been incredibly sexy and a huge turn on. However, what weighed on his mind the most was the realization, the reminder of what a burden he was as an omega.

Jensen and his family had been so incredibly welcoming and Jared didn’t doubt for a moment that Jensen cared for him. Jared could even admit to himself that he’d come to care for Jensen. A lot. He thought that maybe he was evening falling in love with him. Still, the first time that Jared and Jensen had gone out, look what happened. How long would it be before Jensen realized that Jared just wasn’t worth it, like Jared’s parents had? He’d wanted to have as much independence as he could, to reclaim the sense of self and happiness he’d felt before finding out that he was an omega. Today though was a harsh reminder of his reality.

The voices of his family sounded in his head, reminding him of his role. It had been drilled into his head for over two years and a few months in the palace had him allowing himself to believe that he was worth something more than he was. He knew that Jensen wasn’t cruel and he was sure that Jensen cared for him, but he couldn’t help but think that it was mostly infatuation. It wouldn’t take too long for Jensen to realize that he was married to a kid, an omega who had no experience and nothing to offer other than child rearing. 

Jared wiped absently at the tears on his cheeks. He’d let himself feel hope, to dream and he knew that doing so was dangerous. He’d already resigned himself to his fate once and he had no desire to set himself up just to have to go through that again. Biology had dictated his fate and he needed to accept it once and for all. He would do his best to make Jensen happy and he when the time came he would try to be the best father he could be and that would have to be enough.  
++  
Jensen had spoken about the situation at the University to his father as soon as they’d arrived back at the palace. His family had been working to increase omega rights for years. It was a very slow process and for every step forward they made two new obstacles would rear their heads. Still, it was a battle that the royal family felt passionate about and they had no plans to stop fighting. After speaking with his father, Jensen set off to find his husband.

He hadn’t had a chance to speak with Jared about what had happened and he was worried about how the events of the afternoon had affected him. He was heading to their rooms when he was intercepted by Matt.

“Sire, I..I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I was just wondering, um…”

Jensen tried not to show his impatience; it was very rare that Matt initiated conversations with him and Jensen didn’t want to do anything to discourage him.

“What can I do for you Matt?”

Matt glanced around before grabbing Jensen’s shirt sleeve and pulling him into an empty sitting room. Once they were inside with the door closed behind him Matt dropped Jensen’s sleeve and jumped back, his eyes widening in shock as he realized what he’d done.

“Now I’m really intrigued,” Jensen said with a smile.

“Yes, right. I just wanted to remind you that next week is Jared’s birthday.”

Now it was Jensen’s eyes that widened, “Already?” Things had been so hectic since the wedding and Jensen had simply lost track of time.

“I had an idea,” Matt said timidly. At Jensen’s encouraging nod he continued, “You’ll be at Grenwald by then and I thought maybe we could throw him a surprise party.”

“That’s a great idea!”

Encouraged by Jensen’s reaction Matt went on a bit more confidently, “I’m sure that he wouldn’t want anything formal, or too many guests. That’s why I think having it at the cottage would be perfect.”

“You’re right. He mentioned once in passing that he’d had a close friend before his parents pulled him out of school but he never gave me a name. Has he ever mentioned anything to you?”

“No but I’ve never really asked before either.”

They spent a few more minutes making plans and brainstorming ideas before Jensen asked, “Have you seen Jared? I was looking for him.”

“No, but I just came from his room and he’s not in there. Probably either his studio or the garden.”

“I’ll check there. Thanks for the reminder; I owe you one,” Jensen said before he excused himself to resume is search.  
++  
Jared heard footsteps crunch on the path and quickly wiped at his face again.

“There you are,” Jensen said as he joined Jared on the boulder. When Jared didn’t look at him or respond Jensen took his hands in his own, “Hey, are you okay?”

Jared took a deep, shuddering breath before turning partly to face him and giving him a watery smile.

“Oh baby, don’t cry,” Jensen said in a stricken voice as he brushed Jared’s cheek.

Jared laughed a little at the nickname. He’d always thought that couples who used pet names for each other were silly, but hearing Jensen call him baby actually made him feel a little better. 

“I know that this afternoon was hard but we’ll get it straightened out. We’ll meet with Ms. Andrews and get you enrolled.”

Jared shook his head; enrolling in school wasn’t appealing at the moment. “N-no, I don’t…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Jared you can’t let one asshole ruin this.”

“It’s not…that’s not it. We’re leaving for Grenwald in two days and we’re going to be there for a week; let’s just worry about this after that, okay?”

Jared could tell that Jensen wasn’t really buying it, but he was glad that he didn’t push.

Jensen tucked a strand of Jared’s hair behind his ear, “Okay, let’s get something to eat, yeah?”

“Sure,” Jared agreed. 

Jensen looked relieved, “Food and then we’ll pack what we need for next week.”  
++  
Jared woke up alone the next morning but it wasn’t long before Matt showed up. 

“Good morning!” Matt said as he set a tray down. “I’ve brought you breakfast.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“I know that you usually run and then eat in the kitchen, but I thought that we could eat together and then make sure you have everything ready for your time at Grenwald. If that’s okay?”

“Sure.”

Jared joined Matt at the table and watched as Matt served up heaping plates of food. Jared’s eyes went a little wide at the large breakfast Matt sat in front of him.

“This…is a lot of food, Matt.”

“Um, yeah. I uh, I just thought it would be nice, you know?”

“I’m not complaining,” Jared said with a smile.

They ate in silence for a bit before Matt asked, “Are you looking forward to your week away?”

“I am. Are you?”

“Yes. I’ve never been there before but Ben has and he’s really happy that Prince Jensen asked him to be your cook for the week.”

Jared had never met Matt’s alpha, but with as often as Matt gushed about how amazing he was Jared wouldn’t have been surprised to see a halo over the guy’s head. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

Matt beamed at that. “So how long was Mr. Reynold’s your tutor?”

Jared choked a little on a bite of egg at the abrupt change in subject. “Almost two years,” he said slowly. “Why?”

“Oh, I was just curious. You were in public school before that?”

“Yes, up until the day I turned omega. My parents pulled me from school that same day.”

“What school did you go to before that?”

“Fuller High.”

“Did you have a lot of friends?”

“What’s with all of the questions?”

“Um, I don’t know. Just making conversation?”

“Okay,” Jared said, looking a little confused.

“So did you? Have a lot of friends?”

Jared looked wistful, “I did. I’d just started my sophomore year when it happened. Before that though, I had run cross country, played basketball, and then did track and field. Plus, I took art and helped with the yearbook, so I had friends from all over. What about you?”

“Me? Oh, I always went to private school.”

“And?”

“And?”

“What about after…after?”

“My parents let me stay in school until I graduated. Like I said, the school was small but there were two omegas in my class other than me, and there was even an omega who taught the health and life skills classes. I was really lucky. So, you had a lot of friends. Have you spoken to them since?”

“No. My parents wouldn’t let me.”

“That’s too bad. Did you have any best friends?”

“I don’t really want to talk about this.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just, we kind of grew up in the same area and I thought maybe we had had some mutual friends, that’s all.”

“Oh. I guess maybe we did,” Jared said unsurely. He couldn’t figure out why Matt was being so insistent.

“So, names?”

“Well, my best friend was Sean Paxton. We’d been friends since first grade. He was the only one who I was sure wouldn’t care that I was an omega.”

Matt stood and started clearing the table, “You’re done, right?”

Jared was getting more bewildered by the moment, “I guess,” he said, even though he still had all of his toast on his plate.

“Okay, good. I just remembered that I left my phone in the car. I’ll be right back, okay?” Matt grabbed the tray and took off.

“That was weird,” Jared muttered to himself as he got up to take a shower.  
++  
Jared showered and dressed but Matt still wasn’t back when he finished, so instead of making sure that he’d packed appropriately he headed for his little art studio. He’d finished setting it up and Jensen had surprised him with an overstuffed armchair and iPod dock. He pulled out his sketchpad and flipped it and started to work on a sketch of a cat that he’d seen several times while he was working in his garden.

His mind went back to Matt’s odd behavior that morning. The breakfast, the questions, the abrupt cleanup. Matt hadn’t been that fidgety since the first week Jared was at the palace. Maybe it was just that he was excited to see Grenwald. Jared lost himself in his sketch and was startled when Matt knocked on the door.

“Sorry to interrupt. Ben was just putting together the menu for next week and he was wondering if there was anything special that you wanted. Maybe a dessert?”

“I’m sure whatever he makes will be fine.”

“Okay,” Matt said, and Jared was sure that the looked a little disappointed for a second.

“Did you need any help with packing?”

“I don’t think so. Really, I don’t have that much stuff and Jensen helped me choose the appropriate clothes so I think I’m all set.”

“What are you working on? Or do you not like to show your art?”

“No, I don’t mind. It’s not a masterpiece but you can look if you’d like. It’s that calico cat that runs around outside.”

Matt peered over Jared’s shoulder, “Jared that’s really good.”

Jared laughed, “You don’t have to sound surprised.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just wasn’t expecting it to be quite so…good.”

“It’s okay, I know what you mean. You really like it?”

“Yes! Do you have any others?”

“Um, yeah,” Jared said, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I have a few.”

When he didn’t offer to show them Matt smirked at him a bit, “They’re of the Prince aren’t they?”

“Maybe.”

“Do they have little hearts and ‘Jared plus Jensen forever’ around them?”

“Shut up, don’t you have some work to do or something? Maybe fold my underwear?”

Matt laughed, “It’s okay; you’re secret’s safe with me.” He glanced around the studio, “If you like Grenwald we’ll have to see if there’s a place like this for you to set up a studio.”

“I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t like it there. I can tell just from Jensen’s descriptions that he loves it, so it seems a safe bet that that’s where we’ll wind up.”

“Do you need anything right now?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay, as long as you’re packed I’m going to make sure that the valet gets your luggage. Is it in your room?”

“Yes, in the closet, a suitcase and a duffel bag.”

Matt left and Jared decided to go out to check on the garden one last time. It was coming along nicely and he’d left instructions for its care so he wasn’t too worried about it, but he thought that one last check couldn’t hurt.

Once he’d done that he stopped by the kitchen for some lunch, and that was where Jensen found him.

“Hey,” he greeted as he stole some chips from Jared’s plate.

“Hey yourself,” Jared said before playfully slapping his hand away. “Get your own.”

“You know, not sharing your lunch with the Prince could be considered treason.”

“What are you going to do, tie me up?” Jared teased. Jensen looked shocked for a second before his eyes darkened and he gave Jared a heated look. At that Jared realized what he’d said and he dropped his head, feeling a flush spread from his neck to the tip of his ears.

Jensen spun the stool Jared was sitting on around to face him and stepped between Jared’s thighs. He leaned in and bit lightly at Jared’s ear before whispering, “Would you let me? Let me tie you to the bed and do whatever I wanted to do to you?” Jensen’s hands came to rest high on Jared’s thighs and he bit again at Jared’s ear, “I’d start by-“

Jared heard a throat clear from the doorway and Jensen glanced toward the door but didn’t move from his spot.

“Don’t you two have a room for that? I do not want to see my little brother getting it on with his husband on the kitchen counter. Or anywhere for that matter,” Patrick said from the door.

Jared buried his head in Jensen’s neck and groaned.

“Don’t you have some soldiers to lead or something?” Jensen complained.

“Nope. Home for the weekend and ready to torture you. Hey Jared!” Patrick said overly cheerfully.

Jared didn’t lift his head but he gave a half hearted wave in Patrick’s general direction, which made Patrick laugh.

Jensen stepped back and Jared worked on finishing his sandwich while Patrick and Jensen talked. By the time he was done he was thankfully not hard anymore and he got up to put his plate in the sink.

“So Jared,” Patrick said, “I hear that next week is your-“

“First time at Grenwald,” Jensen cut in.

Patrick looked confused for a second, but then said, “Yes, your first visit to Grenwald. Some of the elementary schools around here go on field trips there and I thought maybe you’d visited before. Make sure you have Jensen show you the tree he fell out of and sprained his wrist when we were kids.”

“That was completely your fault! You told me that there was a monkey up there but that I would only be able to see it if I climbed up!”

“This guy was really gullible as a kid,” Patrick stage whispered to Jared, making him laugh.

“Okay, we’re leaving. I don’t need you filling my husband’s head with lies.” Jensen took Jared’s hand and as they were leaving Patrick called out, “Keep it down; I don’t want to hear any of your sex noises!”

Jared put his face in his hand and Jensen just laughed.  
34.  
Grenwald was beautiful. It was easily four times as large as the home Jared had grown up in, but after living in the palace it seemed cozy. The grounds were well maintained but not overly landscaped, and Jared could easily see both gardens and children playing on it. The house itself was completely modern but still maintained its original character and charm. Jared could tell that some of the fixtures and furniture were expensive antiques, but they blended will with the newer furnishings.

The pool and patio were done in blues and terracotta, with heavy furniture and pottery waiting to be filled with plants. There was an outdoor kitchen and eating area and a covered seating area with a TV. There was a sunken area with a fire pit with low couches on three sides and the pool had a built in hot tub and a waterfall with a slide built into the side.

There was a corner room on the second floor on the opposite side of the garage that overlooked a bare corner of the yard and the trees beyond. Large windows lined two sides and it was one of a handful of rooms that had been left empty. Jared immediately knew it would make a perfect studio.

Jensen gave Jared the tour and Jared could tell that Jensen was trying to hold back his excitement so that Jared wouldn’t be influenced, but it was easy to see how much Jensen loved the place. 

“So what do you think?”

“It’s perfect Jensen.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I can tell how much you love it and I can see why. It’s kind of like it’s out of a fairy tale.”

“I have such great memories from here. I mean, don’t get me wrong, growing up in the palace was amazing, but when we were here it wasn’t all about being the royal family, it was just about being family.”

The tour had ended near the pool and they rolled up their pant legs and dangled their feet in the water while they spoke. “Patrick and I could just be kids here. The old grounds keeper had a dog, Red, and I used to play with her all of the time. I’d even sneak her into bed with me when I could; that drove my mother crazy. I’d always wanted a dog but it just wasn’t practical to have one at the palace.”

“I always wanted a dog too, but Giselle was allergic.”

“What kind did you want?”

“When I was little I wanted a Great Dane, like on Scooby Do you know?”

Jensen laughed.

“But when I got a little older I decided that if I was ever lucky enough to get one that I’d get one from a shelter. Not one of those little ones, something bigger. I don’t know, just a stray that needed a good home.”

Matt interrupted them, “Lunch is ready. Would you like to eat out here?”

“Yes, thank you Matt,” Jensen said.

As they ate Jensen told Jared stories of the trouble he and Patrick had gotten into when they’d stayed at the cottage, and he pointed out different areas where he thought Jared could have a garden. When they were finished and the dishes cleared away they relaxed on the couches by the fire pit.

“Do you think you’d like it here?” Jensen asked.

“I do. And I don’t know why we’d need to wait until the end of the week to decide.”

Jensen sat up, “Really?”

“Well, yeah. You obviously love it, and when you decide it’s time for us to have a family it seems like it would be a perfect place for kids.”

“You are amazing,” Jensen said as he tackled Jared back onto the couch cushions, kissing him senseless. When they broke apart Jensen said, “We could ask Ty and Matt and Ben if they wanted to move into the apartments over the garage. In fact, I should find Ty and have him start to work on getting our things packed.” He stood up, his mind obviously full of what would need to be done, and Jared smiled. He liked the fact that he could make Jensen happy.

Jensen started for the house before turning back, “Oh and Jared? It’s when we decide it’s time for us to have a family.”

++  
Jared knew that it wouldn’t be long before Matt came to find him so he just relaxed back into the couch, letting his full stomach and the sun lull him into sleep. He was surprised when he woke up some time later and was still alone.

He headed inside, thinking that he’d take another look around. He looked around the kitchen and then the media room. Half of a wall was devoted to movie and video game storage and there was an actual movie-theatre popcorn popper behind the small bar. When he stepped back into the hall he heard voices from the front sitting room so he turned in that direction.

As he got closer he could tell that it was Jensen and Matt, but while he could hear their voices, they were pitched low so that he couldn’t make out what they were saying. He crossed the threshold and they both turned at once to look at him, halting in mid conversation which seemed odd.

“Did you have a nice nap?” Jensen asked a little too cheerfully.

“Yes, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“No problem. I was just talking to Matt about some renovations. Do you think that upstairs room will work for your art studio?”

“I think it would be perfect.”

“I’m going to have one of the palace carpenters come out on Monday. There isn’t a lot that I want done, mainly just a few things in the office I plan to use. You can meet with him then about what you’d like done in the studio. Can you think of anything else?”

“Uh, no? I have no idea. Whatever you think will be fine.”

“Which room will you be using for your studio?” Matt asked. “May I see it?”

Jared looked to Jensen, who nodded. “Go ahead. I wasn’t able to get a hold of my mother earlier, so I think that I’ll try again.”

Jared led Matt upstairs and into the empty room. “This will be perfect, Jared!”

“I think so.”

“What do you think you’ll have done?”

Jared glanced around, thinking about what he liked and didn’t like about the temporary studio he’d been using at the palace. “Well, if it’s possible I’d really like one wall to be cupboards and counter space with a sink. I don’t know if that would work though.”

Matt looked around, then stepped to the window and looked down, “Aren’t we above that small guest bathroom?”

Jared tried to picture the layout downstairs, but he wasn’t familiar enough with it to be sure, “Maybe? I’m not sure.”

“What else?” Matt asked excitedly.

Jared laughed, “Why are you so eager about this?”

Matt looked a little embarrassed, “Shut up, I just am.”

“Okay, okay. Well, that other empty wall, I think it would be nice to have a couple of chairs, and then I can have an easel and drawing table right in front of the windows.”

The more Jared talked about it, the more he started to catch Matt’s enthusiasm. He’d never even considered doing something like designing his own room, but as he thought about it he realized how much fun it could be.

“What about color? What’s your favorite?”

“Hmmm…” Jared slowly looked around the room. “I think that I’d rather keep the walls white, and then cover it with art.”

“That’s a good idea. You can change it whenever you want without repainting. But what’s your favorite color?”

“I don’t know, blue?” Jared said distractedly.

“What about music. What type of music do you like?”

“What?” Jared asked, focusing his attention back on Matt. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, nothing,” Matt said with obviously faked nonchalance, “I was just curious.”

“I don’t really know. Rock maybe? Not country. What’s yours?”

“Yeah, rock,” Matt said dismissively, “What about movies? Do you have a favorite movie?”

“What’s with all the questions? You’re acting weird. Weirder than normal.”

Matt laughed nervously, “Nothing, nothing. I don’t know. I guess I’m just excited.”

“Okay,” Jared said, drawing out the word.

There was an awkward silence for a moment and then Matt blurted, “The Prince asked us to move here.”

Jared shook his head a little with bewilderment over Matt’s behavior, and then smiled, “He said he was going to; what did you say?”

“Yes, of course. We’d actually both kind of hoped that if you decided to move here you’d ask,” Matt said looking a bit sheepish. 

“Are you going to move here, too?” 

“Are you kidding? Have you seen the apartment? It’s way nicer than where we’re living right now.”

“I haven’t seen it. That’s one place we didn’t look.”

Matt’s face lit up, “Wanna see?”

“Absolutely.”

As they crossed the drive Matt said, “Each of the two apartments are identical and they have both a private, outside entrance, and an entrance from inside the garage. The outside doors are locked right now, so we’ll have to go inside.”

One of the four garage doors was open and they stepped inside. Two of the four bays were occupied. There was a door at each end of the back wall and one in the middle. Matt went to the one in the middle, “The two on the end go to work rooms, and this one opens to the staircase to go upstairs.”

There was a small landing with two doors at the top of the stairs. Matt opened the one on the left, “This one is ours. Or, it will be.”

Beyond a small foyer was an open plan kitchen, dining, and living room. There was a small wash room, and a laundry room behind the kitchen, and a set of stairs led upstairs from the rear of the dining room. Dark, hardwood floors complimented the wood trim and the walls were painted neutral beige. There were three bedrooms upstairs, two with en suites. 

“The other apartment is furnished, but Ben talked to Ty and decided that we’d bring our furniture with us. I guess that Ty doesn’t have much furniture or something. We don’t really either, but I like the idea of getting our own stuff, you know? What do you think?”

“This is a lot bigger than it looks like from outside.”

“I know! I was so surprised when we got up here.”

“When are you going to move?”

“We haven’t gotten that far, but soon I hope.”

They went back downstairs and Matt pointed out Ben’s car. “Do you ever wish you could drive?”

“Not anymore,” Jared said. Omegas weren’t allowed to drive. “I was going to start drivers ed at the end of the semester when my parents pulled me out of school. It really bothered me for a while. I’d been so excited about it. After a while though, I just stopped thinking about it. I didn’t have anywhere to go, you know? So what difference did it make if I could drive or not? It’s not like we can go anywhere on our own anyway.”

“Want to know a secret?” Matt whispered. When Jared nodded he continued, “Ben’s parents live out in the country. Sometimes when we’re out there he lets me drive.”

Jared stopped in his tracks, “Really?” 

Matt looked almost smug, “Yep. And you know the best part?”

Jared shook his head. 

“Driving gets me so excited that we usually have to pull over so he can fuck me over the hood of the car. Or against the door. Or in the backseat.”

“What?” Jared squeaked.

“I said-“

“No! I know what you said,” Jared said as he held up a hand and shook his head back and forth, “I do not need to hear about your sex life.”

“Okay, then tell me about yours.”

They’d made their way to a hammock hung in the corner of the yard, and they sat on it, their feet on the ground, “Um, no.” 

“Come on, Jared,” Matt whined a little. “I’ve never had another omega to talk to about this kind of stuff.”

Jared glanced at Matt from the corner of his eye. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about things, and he and Matt were quickly becoming good friends. 

“I…I don’t really know what to say,” Jared admitted. “How long have you and Ben been married?”

“A year and a half. Obviously I was eighteen, and he was twenty. I know it was different for me than for you. My parents actually let us spend some time together before we got married. By the wedding night we were both more than ready to get to the good stuff.”

“Jensen and I, uh, we’ve gotten to some stuff…” Jared trailed off.

“Are you telling me that you’re still a virgin?” Matt asked teasingly, but not unkindly.

“Mostly.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Jensen is letting me work up to it, I guess. I mean, I’m pretty sure that he wants to do…more stuff.”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He definitely wants to do more ‘stuff’ Jared. But it’s nice that he’s letting you wait. It would be really weird to meet someone for the first time and then be knotted by them just a few hours later.”

“I have to admit that I was terrified that was what would happen, but he’s been really great. I just, I think that now I’m ready for more, but I don’t know what to do about it.”  
“I know this is a radical idea, but you could just tell him.”

Jared laughed, and Matt smirked at him. “Easier said than done.”

“I know, but trust me. I’ve seen enough of you and the Prince together since the wedding, and he’s crazy about you. Nothing you do is going to be wrong. I know that a lot of omegas aren’t nearly as lucky as we are. We have alphas who are more interested in making us happy than showing us our place. I think you’ll find that you have a lot more power than you think you do.”

That gave Jared a lot to think about.  
35.  
Sunday morning brought with it gray skies and the steady resonance of rain on the roof. Jared was looking forward to the day; he knew that the coming week would be busy with renovations and moving, so he was happy to have a day full of nothing before being swept away by the current of activity.

Jensen was splayed out on his back, still sound asleep, and Jared was curled into his side, facing him. He glanced at Jensen’s face, his mussy hair, and the smattering of freckles he seemed to have from head to toe. Jensen was wearing navy, cotton boxer briefs, and the sheet was draped over one hip, leaving him mostly uncovered. 

Jared had woken up hard. He’d become an expert at either rushing to the bathroom, or pretending to sleep while Jensen got out of bed. He was positive that Jensen knew what he was doing, but he’d never said anything. 

Jared thought back to his conversation with Matt, and he tried to put his insecurities aside and look at things objectively. He’d been so sure that his alpha would just take what he wanted like everyone had told him would happen, and that combined with his self doubt had made him feel like he would never show an alpha any desire on his own.

Then Jensen had come along and put everything off kilter, and Jared was still trying to reconcile his new life with what he’d spent two years imagining would be his life. And, he was seventeen and his husband was hot. Omegas typically didn’t become very sexually aroused until they were with their alpha, and Jared thought that his body must have been making up for lost time because he was always horny.

His eyes traveled from Jensen’s lips to the top of his thighs where the sheet draped, and he debated. His fingers were itching to touch and he decided to go for it. What was the worst that could happen? His brain started to supply him a list, but he resolutely shut it out. 

He studied Jensen’s face carefully, and when he was convinced that he was still asleep, he propped himself up on one elbow, and gently placed his other hand on Jensen’s chest. When Jensen didn’t stir, he pressed his hand a little more firmly, feeling Jensen’s heart beating under his palm. Jensen’s skin was warm and smooth, and Jared traced a path of freckles from Jensen’s pec to his collar bone. He then circled one nipple and then the other, watching in fascination as they peaked. Keeping his eyes on Jensen’s face, he leaned forward and ran the flat of his tongue over the one closest to him and then used the tip to softly flick over it.

Jensen jerked a little, and his breath hitched, and Jared froze. He backed away, hardly breathing until he was sure that Jensen wasn’t waking up. His eyes once again swept down Jensen’s body and came to rest on the half hard bulge beneath the cotton of Jensen’s briefs. He gingerly slid down the bed until he was level with it, and carefully placed his hand over it. He rolled his palm over it a couple of times and then reached into the slit of the briefs and delicately pulled it out, holding it loosely in his hand.

He stared in rapt fascination as Jensen’s cock thickened and lengthened in his hand. The skin was smooth, and Jared could just see where the texture started to change at where the knot would be, but he couldn’t get a good look at it because it was hidden inside Jensen’s briefs.

He let go of Jensen’s cock and traced down over the cotton to the heavy swell of Jensen’s balls and then back up again. He knew what he wanted to do, and as a clear bead of precome welled up from the slit, he took a deep breath, leaned forward, and licked it off.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that he liked the taste. He’d tried his own once, and had found it bitter and salty, and nothing that he’d wanted to experience a second time. He’d read somewhere once that omegas often found the taste of their alphas to be pleasant, but he hadn’t believed it until that moment.

He squirmed a little, trying to get at a better angle, and froze for a moment in shock as he felt wetness in the crease of his ass. Omegas didn’t start to self-lubricate until they had been with their alpha for a while and their bodies became attuned to one another, and omegas who were on suppressants rarely self-lubricated at all. Matt had told him that if there was a very strong physiological connection between and alpha and omega that sometimes the omega’s body overrode the suppressants’ effect. It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world, but with Jensen’s cock right there, hard and hot and wet because of Jared he tried to ignore it.

He licked at the head once again, before starting as far down as he could get and licking to the top. He tried to remember what Jensen had done to him so he could duplicate it. Jensen started to fidget, and Jared knew that it wouldn’t be long before he was fully awake. 

He took just the head into his mouth and held it there for a second, taking in the texture and the weight of it on his tongue, and then started to alternate gently sucking with licking. 

“Jared?” Jensen said, sounding groggy and confused, and Jared let his cock drop out of his mouth and he raised his head to meet Jensen’s eyes. The eyes that suddenly focused and widened, “Oh shit, Jared, what…”

Jared didn’t answer. He knew that if he stopped or said anything that he’d probably lose his nerve. Instead he crawled so he was kneeling between Jensen’s legs, and once again took Jensen’s cock into his mouth. He licked around the head and then slowly lowered his mouth as far down the length as he could, which wasn’t far at all. He choked and pulled off, but after taking a deep breath he tried it again, this time better prepared.

One of Jensen’s hands ran through his hair and the other rested on his cheek, “Jared, you don’t have to-“

Jared gave a particularly hard suck and pushed Jensen’s hand from his face, hoping that would be enough to convey the message that he didn’t plan to stop. He bobbed his head up and down, gradually increasing his speed. He learned quickly that he couldn’t take Jensen in very far, but he thought maybe that would come with practice. He tried to use the hand not holding him up to cover what he couldn’t with his mouth, but he wasn’t able to coordinate between his mouth and his hand very well. He was drooling all over, and his eyes were watering a little, and he was pretty sure it was probably the worst blow job in the history of blow jobs. However, he wasn’t going to stop, because even if it wasn’t that great for Jensen, it was turning out to be amazing for himself. 

He glanced up at Jensen, a little worried because he’d gone so still and silent. Jensen was leaning up so he could see, and his eyes were locked on his cock disappearing into Jared’s mouth. When their eyes met Jared was happy to see that Jensen looked absolutely wrecked. Maybe Matt had been right, maybe Jared did have more power than he realized.

Jensen dropped his head back onto the pillow and flung an arm over his face. His hips gave a few aborted thrusts before he seemed to get himself back under control, and Jared redoubled his efforts, licking, sucking, and bobbing his head, headless to the mess he was making of his face and of Jensen.

“Jared, fuck. I can’t believe you…I thought I was dreaming.”

Jared grinned as best he could with Jensen’s cock filling his mouth as Jensen continued to babble; he could get used to this.

Jared own cock was heavy and throbbing in his boxers, and he could feel damp spots at both the front and the back. He snaked his hand down his body and into his shorts, taking himself in hand and jerking himself off, wanting to come at the same time as Jensen.

Jensen lifted his head again, looking from Jared’s mouth to the steady rise and fall of his shoulder, “Shit. Shit, shit, shit, are you jerking yourself off while you’re sucking my dick? You’re going to kill me, that’s so fucking hot, Jared.”

Jared felt Jensen tense a little as his cock got just a bit harder in his mouth. Jensen pulled at Jared’s hair, “Jar-Jared, I’m going to come, man, you-“ But Jared wasn’t stopping, and with a long groan, Jensen came, filling Jared’s mouth and shooting down his throat. 

At the first taste of come in his mouth, Jared’s own orgasm slammed into him, taking him by surprise. He kept Jensen in his mouth as long as he could, trying and failing to swallow all of his release. He pulled back, coughing a little and the last pulses of come streaked across his lips and chin.

They were both breathing hard, but Jensen didn’t waste any time; he pulled Jared up his body and rolled him onto his back, staring down at him with a mixture of amazement and awe before leaning down and licking his own release from Jared’s face, and then taking his mouth in a demanding kiss. He ran his hands down and cupped Jared through his soaked boxers, making Jared moan into his mouth.

“I want to see. I want to see how you came all over yourself while you sucked me off,” Jensen said as he pulled Jared’s boxers off and threw them aside, taking a moment to do the same to himself. He kissed Jared again before leaning back and looking at the mess of Jared’s come around his already hardening dick. 

He pushed Jared’s legs apart and settled between them, running his hands up and down Jared’s thighs, and then leaning forward to clean Jared with his tongue. When he’d licked up every bit that was left over and had brought Jared back to full hardness, he slid back up and kissed Jared again.

Jared had thought that he’d feel embarrassed, but as Jensen ate at his mouth possessively and rutted his own once again hardening cock against Jared’s hip, the last thing he felt was embarrassed. He felt owned, but not in a bad way. Owned in a way that made him feel complete and protected and loved, and it was in that moment that he realized that he was totally and completely in love with Jensen, and that instead of it terrifying him, it felt exhilarating. 

That train of thought was overridden as Jensen took his cock in his hand, running his fingers teasingly around the head and up and down the length before going lower and rolling his balls in his palm. He kissed from Jared’s mouth to his jaw, and then back to behind his ear as his fingers traveled further back to his perineum. Before he went any farther though, he whispered, “Can I?” and Jared nodded, pretty sure that he’d let Jensen do anything that he wanted to in that moment.

Jensen slid his fingers back, circling Jared’s hole before freezing and pulling back with a look of surprise, “Are you,” he paused to clear his throat, “shit Jared, are you wet?”

Jared nodded, and Jensen groaned, dropping his head into the space between Jared’s neck and shoulder, “You’re going to kill me; you’re so fucking perfect Jared,” he whispered as his fingers once again began to explore.

He circled and pushed, driving Jared mad until he was begging for more, “Please Jensen, please…”

“Please what, baby?” Jensen asked lowly, but Jared didn’t have an answer. “I’ve got you,” Jensen said as the tip of his middle finger breached Jared. “You’re so wet, my finger just slides right in.”

“M-more, please,” Jared wasn’t sure what he wanted, he couldn’t think straight.

Jensen slid his finger in to the knuckle and slowly began to pump it in and out, “You’re so hot and tight, one day soon I’m going to slide my dick in there. Fuck you hard and fast, and slow and deep, knot you and fill you up until you’re dripping. Would you like that, baby?”

Jared moaned, pushing back against Jensen’s hand, “Yes, yes, anything please.”

Jensen added another finger and Jared’s hips bucked. It felt so good, he’d had no idea that it could feel that good, and he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten from giving Jensen a tentative blow job to begging for his alpha’s fingers in his ass, but as long as Jensen didn’t stop, he didn’t care.

Jensen withdrew his fingers and Jared whined in protest, making Jensen chuckle, “What happened to my shy little omega?” he teased, and Jared surprised both of them glaring and demanding that Jensen get “back to it now.”

Jensen gave Jared a wicked grin and once again pushed his way in between Jared’s legs, this time lifting them up and pushing his knees to his chest. Jared had no idea what he was going to do, and the first touch of Jensen’s tongue to his opening made him jerk and cry out in surprise. Jensen didn’t give him any time to adjust though, just licked up, over, and around before pointing his tongue and using it to fuck into Jared.

Jared had never considered having someone’s tongue in his ass, and he was pretty sure that he should be more grossed out about it, but it felt so incredible that he just couldn’t bring himself to care. Jensen was moaning, mumbling how good Jared tasted, and how he was so amazing, and Jared couldn’t imagine that it could get any better. He was wrong. Jensen worked two fingers back into Jared next to his tongue, working them deeper than before, and then crooking them just a little, rubbing them over the slight swell of Jared’s prostate, causing Jared to cry out and jerk violently. 

“Wh-what was that?”

Jensen laughed a little. He licked around and between his fingers a few more times before sitting back on his heels. Jared looked at him, his face shiny with Jared’s slick, his cock hard against his belly, and a sheen of sweat across his chest and if he could have focused he would have thought that he’d never seen anything so beautiful. But Jensen kept working his fingers in and out, brushing against Jared’s prostate every so often, making Jared beg for more.

Jensen slid a third finger into Jared, and it burned and pinched a little, but Jared was so far gone that he didn’t care. Jensen pumped them in and out of Jared’s body faster and harder, making sure to hit Jared’s prostate on every pass, “Can you come like this, Jared? With just my fingers in your ass, and not a hand on your dick?”

Jared moaned, so lost in sensation that he couldn’t string together two words. Jensen slapped his ass lightly, but enough to have Jared’s eyes flying open, “Can you? Can you come from just my fingers?”

“Y-yes, yes!”

“Then do it, baby,” Jensen ordered.

At Jensen’s words Jared’s entire body locked up and his breath was caught in his lungs for what felt like an eternity, before his orgasm swept through his body like wildfire, lighting him up from the inside out and shattering him into a million pieces. He dropped his legs to the bed, lost for he didn’t know how long. When he opened his eyes it was to see Jensen using Jared’s slick to jerk himself off hard and fast. It wasn’t long before Jensen added his own release to Jared’s.

Jensen flopped down on the bed next to Jared, once again absently rubbing his come into Jared’s skin while they waited for their breath to settle. After they’d both come down, Jensen pulled Jared into his arms, and pulled to covers up over them.

“Good morning,” he whispered, giving Jared a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Good morning,” Jared said, his cheeks going a little pink.

They were both quiet for a second, before they both started to speak at once.

“Was that okay?”  
“Did I go too far?”

They both laughed, and Jensen indicated for Jared to go first.

“Was that okay?” he asked. 

Jensen laughed a little incredulously, “I don’t think I know the words to express just how much more than okay that was, but did I hurt you? I know I got a little…demanding there.”

“You didn’t hurt me, I promise. And I think I kinda liked you being a little demanding,” Jared said. He could feel the heat of his blush, but he forced himself to keep eye contact.

“Good, because I definitely liked it,” Jensen said with a smile, “but what brought that on?”

“You’ve been so patient, and I was ready for the next step, but I didn’t know how to say it, so I thought that maybe if I just tried it…”

“Well, feel free to ‘try it’ any time you’d like,” Jensen said with a leer, making Jared laugh. “But you know that you don’t need to go any faster than you’re ready for, right? I’m not going to be upset. And if I do something that you don’t like, you have to promise that you’ll tell me, okay? I never want to hurt you, Jared.”

Jared nodded, “I promise.”

“I guess we should get cleaned up; this is going to be gross if we wait too long.”

Jared cuddled closer to Jensen, resting his head on Jensen’s shoulder while hooking an arm around his waist and sliding a leg between Jensen’s knees, “In a minute.”

Jensen kissed the top of his head and held him closer.  
++  
Jared woke up about an hour later and carefully untangled himself from Jensen and snuck into the bathroom to shower and dress. Matt, Ben, and Ty had the day off, leaving the house empty apart from the guards stationed on the grounds, and Jared decided to take advantage of it by making breakfast, well lunch, for them.

He didn’t know how to make a lot, but what he did know he’d been taught by Gemma so he knew it was good. He poked around the kitchen and pantry and decided on ham and cheese omelets. The kitchen was so much bigger and better appointed than his parent’s, and it took him a bit to gather the ingredients and tools he’d need, and to figure out how to use the restaurant-grade stove. Soon though, he was lost in his cooking, and he jumped in surprise when Jensen’s arms slid around his waist.

Jensen pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck, “Good morning; something smells good.”

Jared turned in Jensen’s arms and pressed a kiss to Jensen’s lips, “Good afternoon,” he laughed. “Sit down, lunch is almost ready.”

“How about if I get out the plates and make some coffee?”

Jared was pleasantly surprised by the suggestion, “That would be great, but I’ll have juice, not coffee.”

They spent the rest of the day exploring and making plans for the house, and swimming in the pool. It was one of the first uninterrupted days that they’d had together, and even in just that short time they seemed to become even closer.

It was late in the evening when Jensen asked what Jared would like to order for dinner.

“Jensen, we have an entire kitchen full of food,” Jared said bemusedly.

Jensen looked startled at the suggestion, “Oh, yeah,” Jensen said as he followed Jared into the kitchen, looking a little intimidated.

“I don’t know how to make too many things, but how about baked chicken breasts and a salad. That should be simple enough,” Jared said as he stuck his head in the refrigerator. He pulled out what they’d need, and then exclaimed in surprise, “Raspberries!”

Jensen smiled at Jared fondly, “Raspberries?”

“Yes, one of the few desserts I know how to make is fruit cobber. I’ll bet we have ice cream, too.”

Jared put the chicken in the oven, “Do you want to put the salad together and I’ll start on dessert?”

“Uh, sure,” Jensen said. “What should I do?”

“Just break up the lettuce, and cut up those vegetables,” Jared said, already pulling out a mixing bowl, pan, and baking supplies.

A few minutes later he glanced over at Jensen and burst out laughing, “What are you doing?”

Jensen was attempting to cut up a tomato, but all he’d managed to do was mangle and mash it. The lettuce was in large chunks in the bowl. “Honestly? I have no idea,” Jensen said sheepishly. “The most I’ve ever done in the kitchen is make some microwave popcorn.” He was silent for a second before he admitted, “But I burned it and set off the smoke detectors.”

“You are so spoiled,” Jared teased.

“Hey! I’ve been too busy doing important prince-y things to learn to cook,” he said in mock outrage.

“Oh, I’m sure. How about if you just set the table and pour the drinks.”

Jensen complied, and then sat at the bar, watching Jared cook. “I think maybe I should get you a frilly apron,” he said after a few minutes.

Jared pointed the knife he was using at Jensen, “Don’t you dare.”

Dinner was ready a few minutes later, and with dessert in the oven they settled in the small breakfast nook to eat. Jensen had poured them both wine, and Jared took a tentative sip, trying to hide his grimace. Jensen got up and brought him back a glass of water, and Jared looked embarrassed.

“If you don’t like something, you just have to say, okay?” Jensen reminded him. Jared nodded. “Besides, that just means more wine for me,” Jensen said with a smile, making Jared laughed.

The oven timer went off, and Jared got up, returning a few minutes later with bowls of cobbler and ice cream. Jensen took a bite, “This is delicious, Jared!”

Jared smiled at the praise, and they were silent as they ate. After, they cleaned the kitchen, and then Jensen convinced Jared to get in the hot tub with him.

“Naked?” Jared squeaked.

“There’s no one here,” Jensen cajoled, kissing Jared deeply, and then looking at him with a ridiculously pleading face.

“I thought I was the younger one in this relationship,” Jared huffed. He stripped out of his clothes as quickly as possible and hopped in the water. Jensen laughed as he joined him, settling on a seat and pulling Jared into his arms.

Jared relaxed into Jensen’s arms as he looked around. He could see the garage and Ty’s apartment from where he was sitting, which meant that after Ty moved in he’d also be able to see the hot tub, “If Ty was home he’d be able to see us.”

Jensen chuckled, “I guarantee you that Ty does not want to spy on us in the hot tub.”

“Still…”

“We could have some fencing put up on the side, or some tall shrubs. Then we’d only be able to be seen by part of the main house, and no one would be there to watch us anyway.”

“Hmmm…” Jared grumbled.

Jensen urged Jared around so he was straddling him, “Thank you for making me dinner.”

Jared blushed a little, “You’re welcome.”

They met in a kiss that started soft and sweet but quickly turned heated. Jensen took both of their cocks in his hand, and Jared started rocking his hips, moving in time with Jensen until they both spilled into the water.

“So, you said something about a fence?” Jared said dazedly, making Jensen laugh.  
++  
Monday was a very busy day. The house was full of people and activity, and Jared found it a little overwhelming. Jensen had arranged for a carpenter to meet with him after lunch to discuss his studio space.

The carpenter was a tall, bulky alpha named Kyle, with a no-nonsense demeanor and work rough hands. Jared had found him intimidating at first, but once they started talking about the room Jared had chosen he realized that he was very friendly, and more importantly, he treated Jared with respect, carefully listening to his ideas and offering suggestions of his own.

Twice during the day he walked in on Matt and Jensen whispering to each other, and both times they quickly stopped talking and looked guilty. It was strange, but with everything going on he didn’t think too much about it.

Tuesday Jensen had to go to the palace and Matt went with him, saying that he would pack up the remainder of Jared’s clothes. Jared had offered to go with him, but Jensen convinced him that he should stay at Grenwald in case Kyle had questions about the studio. It struck Jared as odd, but Kyle actually did have questions for him so he let it go.  
Jensen had introduced him to the security team Monday morning; there were three sets of two guards who split the day into shifts. Two covered the house, and another worked the gate at the end of the drive. There was a small security office in the front of the house, and they did a good job of remaining inconspicuous but being available when they were needed.

With Jensen gone for the day everyone had turned to Jared for answers: Did the paint look okay? Where should this go? Did all the books go in Jensen’s office? After the fourth text to Jensen in forty five minutes Jared’s phone rang.

“You doing okay?”

Jared stepped into a small bathroom and pulled the door closed behind him, “I’m sorry to keep bothering you. Everyone is asking me all of these questions and I don’t know how to answer; when will you be home?”

“Not for several more hours unfortunately. I have a meeting with someone later in the day.”

“Okay,” Jared said sounding disappointed.

“Jared, Grenwald is going to be your home as much as mine. I know it’s overwhelming, but I trust your judgment, and I know you can do this. Furniture can always be moved and paint redone, but I’m sure whatever you decide will be fine with me. If it gets to be too much, just tell one of the security guys and watch a movie or something.”

“Really? I just don’t want to mess things up.”

“You won’t; I know you won’t.”

“Okay, thanks Jensen.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for taking care of things. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“Okay, love you,” Jared said.

Jensen sucked in a sharp breath and Jared froze, realizing what he’d said. 

“I..I’ll see you soon,” Jensen said in a strangled voice before disconnecting.

Jared slid down the door and dropped his head onto his knees. It was true but he hadn’t meant to say it; it had just popped out. And Jensen hadn’t said it back. Instead, he’d practically hung up on Jared. He felt like such an idiot. Of course he hadn’t said it back; it was way too soon, and after the reason of the call he probably felt like Jared was just a needy, clingy kid. 

He heard someone calling for him and he reluctantly got up. What was done was done; maybe Jensen would just forget it.  
++  
Jensen Interlude

Jensen stared in stunned silence at the phone lying on his desk. Jared had just said that he loved him. Jared had just said that he loved him, and Jensen hadn’t said it back. Jared had just said that he loved him, Jensen hadn’t said it back, and then he’d practically hung up on him. Now Jared was probably freaking out, and it was all on Jensen. He’d just been so surprised, beyond surprised really, and he…well he didn’t know. He just really, really hoped that Jared had meant it, because Jensen was going to say it back as soon as he got home, and he definitely meant it.

A knock on his office door startled him from his thoughts, “Come in.”

Matt stepped inside. Jensen was pleased that Matt seemed more comfortable around him since they’d started working together to plan Jared’s party. 

“Prince, Mr. Paxton is here to see you.”

“Excellent. We have a change in plans for the afternoon.”

“Sire?”

“I want to go home immediately after my meeting with Mr. Paxton. If things go well, I’ll need you to stay behind and make transportation arrangements with him; you can have Ben pick you up here. Have Ty call security at Grendwald and have everyone out of the house by the time I get home. I don’t care if they’re in the middle of something, they can pick up where they left off in the morning. Please have Ben make Jared and me a light dinner and leave it in the refrigerator. Go ahead and show Mr. Paxton in.”

“Certainly, Sire. Is everything okay? Jared?”

Jensen smiled, pleased that Matt was becoming such a good friend to Jared, “Everything is fine. I’d just like an evening alone with my new husband.”

Matt stepped in with a thin, blond man a little shorter than himself, “Prince Jensen, this is Sean Paxton,” he introduced before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Jensen rounded the desk and shook Sean’s hand, “Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice, Mr. Paxton. Please, have a seat.”

Jensen crossed back to sit in his desk chair. He was pleased that Sean had a firm handshake, even though he was obviously nervous.

Sean nodded as he fidgeted in his seat, “Of course, Your Highness.”

“Have you heard of my recent nuptials?”

Sean nodded again.

“And I believe that you know my husband?”

Another nod.

“Jared told me that you two were close before he was pulled from school. Did you know that he was removed when his parents found out he was an omega?”

“Y-yes,” Sean paused to clear his throat, “Yes, we were. He was my best friend.”

Now it was Jensen’s turn to nod, hoping that Sean would elaborate on his own.

“I uh, it took me a while to figure out what had happened. One day he was at school, and the next he was gone. I thought maybe he was sick or something. I didn’t think much of it until the third day he wasn’t in school. I called his house at lunch that day, but no one answered, and the secretary in the school office wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Sean paused, and Jensen motioned for him to continue.

“I called his house that night, but his mom wouldn’t put him on the phone and she told me not to call back. I went to his house several times, different times of the day, different days, but either no one would answer the door, or one of his parents would and they told me that Jared wasn’t there. Finally his mom called my mom and told her that I needed to stay away; that Jared was gone and I needed to forget about him.”

Sean shook his head, “I was so upset. So were my parents. Jared was always at our house; we were as close as brothers, and my parents loved him. A few days later my parents sat me down and told me that Jared was an omega. I’m not sure how they’d found out, but they were resigned. They told me that Jared’s parents weren’t going to let him come back to school, or hang out with me, or do anything anymore. I argued and pleaded, but it was no use. They didn’t have any control over the situation, and Jared’s parents weren’t going to budge.”

Sean sighed and looked out the window for a few seconds, “I wrote him letters, but they all came back unopened. It wasn’t long before the news that Jared was an omega was all over school. It made me realize a lot about my friends. Some of them made jokes about him, some said terrible things. A few of us though, we didn’t care. We just wanted him back, wanted to make sure he was okay.” He gave a bitter laugh, “We made this plan to break him out. I don’t know what we thought we’d do once we had him, but it didn’t matter; we never made it that far. We waited until the middle of the week, sure that his parents would be at work and his brother and sister at school. Unfortunately for us, one of his neighbors spotted us and called the police. My parents made me swear that I’d let it go. Jared’s parents were threatening to sue us. I’m not proud of it, but we did give up.”

“Is he…is he okay?”

Jensen smiled. Sean obviously cared about Jared just like he’d hoped, “He’s fine. His parents kept him isolated until he was old enough to be sold to an alpha. He’s probably not the same kid you knew, but I’m working on that. That’s where you come in, actually.”

“What can I do? Anything.”

“I’m throwing him a small surprise party for his eighteenth birthday on Thursday, and I’d like you to be a guest.”

Sean grinned, “That would be great! I’m sure I could get some of the guys to come.”

“Unfortunately, that won’t work this time. You’ll all have to be vetted first, and there isn’t time for that. Plus, I think it might be too much all at once. Jared’s parents, they were cruel to him. They told him he was worthless, less than nothing. They wore him down until he believed it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Sean looked stricken, “Yes,” he said quietly. 

“If things go well, then we will certainly make arrangements for you all to get together. You’ll all be welcome at our home anytime Jared would like to see you.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Jensen pressed the intercom on his phone and called in his secretary, Maggie.

“Maggie, this is Sean Paxton. He’ll be coming to Jared’s party Thursday night. Please work with Matt to set up transportation for him.”

“Yes, Sire.”

Jensen stood and shook Sean’s hand, “Thank you again for coming in. You can give Maggie the names of your other friends.”

Sean was almost at the door when he turned back, “Sir?”

“Yes?”

“He’s really okay?”

“He really is.”

Sean nodded and followed Maggie out, and Jensen picked up his mobile phone, “Ty? I’m ready to go home.”  
++  
Jared was in his studio with Kyle when one of the security guards came in. “Forgive my interruption, but the Prince has requested that all work be stopped until tomorrow.”

“What?” Jared asked in surprise. Jensen was anxious for the work to be completed, so it seemed like a strange request. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, sir. He’s asked all the staff to leave for the day now, but there’s nothing to be concerned about.”

Right, Jared thought. Nothing except the fact that he’d told Jensen that he loved him, and Jensen had almost immediately ordered everyone from Grenwald.

Kyle packed away his tools and smiled kindly at Jared, “I suppos this is still your honeymoon phase. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jared gave him a weak smile in return and watched him leave, his mind racing. He forced himself to take a several deep breaths before heading to their bedroom suite. He sat on the edge of the bed, opened his nightstand drawer, and reached to the back, pulling out a small box. Inside was the band that Jensen had given him the day of their wedding. He took out the ring and put the box back, closing the drawer. He rolled the ring between his fingers, and slid it on his finger above his own.

So much had happened in such a short time, and his emotions were so all over the place. He remembered back to when he was younger, when he’d been confident and even-keeled, when he didn’t second guess every single thing he did and said. When he could make a decision and follow through with it, and when he didn’t feel the constant need to put up walls to guard his heart.

He tried to look at his situation as objectively he possibly could. Jensen had known of Jared through his Uncle Michael for a long time, and had made sure that he’d been notified by the Omega Agency the minute Jared was put on the registry. He had never once used his status as alpha to bully or force Jared into anything. He was considerate, patient, and accommodating, and he’d stood up for Jared on more than one occasion. He asked for Jared’s opinion often, and really seemed to take Jared’s answers seriously. He had a close relationship with his family and friends, and he treated people with respect, no matter their station. In short, Jared would very easily concede that Jensen was amazing. He was nothing like what Jared had been expecting, and he was beginning to realize that the shoe he kept expecting to fall might not actually exist.

He examined his own feelings. He’d been so sure that he was doomed to live a miserable life with an overbearing and controlling alpha, but that was obviously not the case. He wondered if what he was feeling for Jensen was simply gratitude for saving him from that life, but he quickly dismissed that idea. He’d never been in love before, he’d never thought he’d be in love, but he was positive that what he was feeling was way more than thankfulness. 

He’d spent time watching Matt and Ben and they were very obviously in love, and when he compared himself and Jensen to them it was clear: he was in love with Jensen. He hadn’t misspoken on the phone, and it would be better to just own it. Yes, part of the physical attraction and response he had was due to his biology, but when he looked at them as a whole, what he felt went so much further than that.

“Jared!”

Jared was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Jensen’s voice.

“Jared, I’m home. Where are you?”

Jared sat immobile on the edge of the bed; this was it, and while he wanted to go to Jensen, the enormity of the situation held him in place.

“Jared, there you are,” Jensen said as he entered the bedroom, a little out of breath and looking frazzled. He crossed the room and dropped to his knees between Jared’s legs. 

“I’m such an idiot,” he said so matter-of-factly that it took Jared a minute to comprehend.

“What? No you’re not.”

“Did you mean it?”

There was no pretending to not know what ‘it’ was; he didn’t even want to, “Yes.”

Jensen surged up and pulled Jared into his arms, holding him tightly before pushing him back just enough to look into his eyes, “I love you too, Jared. So much. I know I handled this poorly, but you caught me so off guard.”

“I caught myself off guard. I didn’t even realize I was going to say it before it was out of my mouth.”

“But…you meant it, right?”

“Yes, I meant it. I mean it.”

The smile Jensen gave Jared at that was dazzling, and Jared felt himself returning it. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both wearing sappy grins and then Jensen pulled Jared in for a kiss. When he started to push Jared back onto the bed, Jared stopped him with a hand to his chest.

“Wait; before we go any farther I need to do something.” Jared pulled the second band from his finger, and slid it carefully onto Jensen’s, “I love you, Jensen, alpha. Thank you for choosing me.”

Jensen stared from his hand to Jared’s face and back again, blinking rapidly to clear the tears from his eyes, “I thought our wedding day was amazing, but this…you’ve made me so happy Jared.”

This time Jared allowed himself to be pushed back as Jensen draped his body on top of him. They kissed as they slowly undressed each other, doing their best so that their lips were never parted long. Once they were both naked, Jensen settled himself between Jared’s legs, leaning on his forearms and looking down at Jared with such an intense expression of love that it took Jared’s breath away.

Jared pulled him down into another kiss before working his way from Jensen’s lips to his ear, “Will you…will you knot me? Please?” he whispered.

Jensen shivered before pushing himself back up so he could see Jared’s face, “Are you sure?”

Jared nodded, and Jensen rolled them so they were on their sides, facing each other. He ran a hand from Jared’s cheek to his waist, and then pulled Jared’s leg so that it rested over his hip. Jensen began to kiss him again as his hand trailed back, fingers trailing gently over Jared’s opening. They both groaned as Jensen easily slipped one, then two fingers inside.

“You’re so wet, Jared. Wetter than the other day,” Jared said, his voice filled with awe. “I don’t think that I even need any lube.”

Jared could feel what Jensen meant, and even though he had next to no experience, he had to agree. He rocked back on Jensen’s fingers, wanting more. Jensen slipped a third finger in, and it felt so good, but it wasn’t enough. Jared had thought that the other day had been amazing, but it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. The need to be filled and owned by Jensen was so strong, so overpowering that he felt like he could cry from the intensity of it.

“Jensen please, I’m ready.”

“Are you sure? I’m bigger than three fingers, baby, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t, please, just…I need you.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jensen said before he captured Jared’s lips once more in a kiss so good it made Jared’s toes curl against the sheets. “Turn over so your back is to me.”

Jared didn’t even hesitate, just flipped over and pushed himself back into the cradle of Jensen’s body. Jensen tightened his arms around him, rocking his hips, making his cock slide against Jared. He kissed the back of Jared’s neck, and bit down in the spot that he considered his, making Jared moan.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, please,” Jared whispered.

Jensen nudged Jared’s top leg forward, and then slowly eased his cock inside, pushing until he was fully seated, and then pausing. Jared tensed at the initial burn and stretch, but once Jensen had stilled, he forced himself to relax. Jared wasn’t sure if it was seconds or minutes later, but the pain faded and he experimentally rocked his hips, causing Jensen to groan.

“Can I move?” Jensen said sounding breathless.

Jared couldn’t speak, so he just rocked his hips again, and reached back to pull at Jensen’s hip. Jensen started slow, rolling his hips in long strokes. It didn’t take long at all before they were both nearing the edge; Jared could feel Jensen’s knot catching on his rim and it just made him feel hotter, like he was burning up inside. A few more thrusts and the knot slipped all the way in, tying them together. There was a split second of pain before the extra, continuous pressure on Jared’s prostate pushed him over the edge, shooting ropes of come up his stomach and chest, his cock completely untouched.

The feel of his husband coming untouched on his cock was the most intense thing Jensen had ever felt, and his orgasm spread from where they were connected to every part of his body and he shook as he pumped his release inside of Jared.

After they’d both regained some semblance of brain function, Jared asked how long they’d be tied together.

“Fifteen minutes, maybe? I’m not sure.”

“Well how long was it last time you did it?”

“Jared, I’ve never knotted anyone before; I was waiting for you.”

Jensen pulled Jared even closer, and Jared tangled their hands and legs together, content, loved, and looking at a future brighter than he could have ever dreamed.

Epilogue:

Wednesday was another busy day, the house full of activity. Jensen pulled Jared outside just after lunch to show him the privacy fencing being installed by the hot tub, making Jared blush while Jensen laughed. Three more times Jared walked in on Matt and Jensen talking in hushed tones and looking guilty as soon as they noticed him.

“What is with you two?” Jared exclaimed after the third time.

“Nothing,” the both said quickly in unison.

Jared crossed his arms over his chest, “Why is it that I don’t believe you?”

“Oh! I think Ben is calling me,” Matt said abruptly as he practically sprinted from the room. Jensen narrowed his eyes at Matt’s retreating back before turning back to Jared looking sheepish.

“Can I just ask you to trust me? I promise you’ll find out soon enough,” he said.

Jared sighed and shook his head fondly. It was a testament to how far Jared had come that he didn’t hesitate to say yes. “But it’ll cost you a kiss,” he said, and that was a deal that Jensen was more than happy to accept.

Thursday was more of the same, but it was obvious that things would be completed soon. It was nice to have some many people working to get things done quickly, but Jared would be glad when they were all out of the house.

It was about three when Matt came to find him, “Ty has to go to the palace for a bit, and I thought maybe we could go with him to pack up your art supplies and make sure that nothing else was left behind.”

“Sure, that’s a good idea.”

It didn’t take long to pack up the studio and check the bedrooms, and Jared was ready to leave by about five, but Matt was nowhere to be found. As he was looking for him, he came across the Queen who invited him to join him for a drink on the patio.

They were served iced tea and cookies, and Jared tried to hide his nerves as the Queen questioned him about how he liked Grenwald, and what changes were being made. Before long Jared was lost in the stories the Queen was telling about Jensen as a child. 

“Your Majesty, pardon my intrusion, but we must be on our way or we’ll be late for your dinner party.”

“Thank you, Marcus, I’ll be right there,” she said before turning back to Jared. “I’m sorry to run out on you like this darling; I didn’t realize that it had gotten so late.”

“Thank you for having me, ma’am.”

“Mallory, Jared,” she smiled as she kissed his cheek.

It wasn’t even two minutes later when Matt appeared, “Ready to head back?”

“Yes, where have you been?”

“Oh, around. I had some errands Ben asked me to take care of for him. I didn’t think it would take so long.”

“Where’s Ty?”

“Jensen called him back a while ago; one of the other drivers will take us back.”

It was almost seven as they pulled into Grenwald and Jared’s stomach was rumbling. They headed for the kitchen and Jared was surprised to when they didn’t pass anyone on their way and found the kitchen empty.

“Where is everyone?”

Matt laughed a little hysterically, “I don’t know, man. Outside maybe?”

Jared cocked his head to the side as he studied Matt, “Are you okay?” he asked.

“What? Yes, what?”

“Right,” Jared said, drawing out the word.

“Let’s just check outside, okay?” Matt said, pushing past Jared and hastily making his way toward the patio.

Jared shook his head as he followed him. Maybe Matt needed a vacation.

What happened next was almost too much for Jared to comprehend; it seemed as though it was happening in slow motion. They stepped outside where a small group of people were waiting for them, surrounded by blue balloons and colorful streamers. Matt quickly went to Ben’s side, leaving Jared alone, listening as everyone shouted “Surprise!”  
Jared glanced around in confusion before his eyes landed on Jensen who was grinning so hard Jared thought that it must hurt. 

Jensen stepped forward and took Jared’s face between his hands, “Happy birthday, baby.”

“What?"

Jared looked around again, taking in the scene once more, noting the pile of presents next to a cake, and the large banner that read ‘Happy Birthday Jared!’ on it. 

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

Jared looked back at Jensen as he nodded, “I..I can’t believe you did this. Oh! Is that why you and Matt have been so weird?”

“Maybe,” Jensen said with a grin. “Come on, there’s someone here who has been dying to see you.”

Jensen pulled Jared toward the small group of people, and Jared accepted hugs and happy birthdays from the King and Queen, Patrick, Ben, Ty, and some of Jensen’s friends before being enveloped in a hug by Gemma. Jensen led him over to a thin, blond guy who looked familiar.

“Hey JT, happy birthday.”

“Sean?” Jared asked incredulously.

“Yeah.”

Jensen could see Jared’s mind racing, unsure of how to react, and just as he was about to step in Sean grabbed Jared and pulled him into a bear hug.

“It’s so good to see you, JT, you have no idea.”

Jared had frozen at the initial contact, but at Sean’s words he relaxed and returned the hug just as fiercely.

Sean pushed Jared back, holding him at arm’s length and looking him up and down. “I’m so sorry Jared, me and the guys, we tried so hard to see you, but your parents wouldn’t let us. They wouldn’t tell us anything, and…” he broke off, obviously fighting tears.

“I…I had no idea,” Jared whispered as tears ran unchecked down his face. “But how…?”

“Your husband, the uh, the Prince called me in for a meeting a few days ago, and asked me to come to your party.”

Jared turned to Jensen, “I can’t believe you did this for me,” he whispered.

Just then Patrick called out, “Enough with the heartfelt reunion over there. You have hungry guests!”

“Patrick!” the Queen chastised, but she was grinning.

“Come on, the birthday boy gets to eat first,” Jensen said. “I promise you two can have plenty of time to catch up later,” he added quietly.

They ate burgers, salad, and chips, and once that was done everyone sang happy birthday and Jared blew out his candles.

“What did you wish for?” Jensen whispered in his ear.

“Nothing. I can’t think of anything else I could possibly want.”

“Not even one thing?”

“No, I have more than I ever dreamed I could.”

“We’ll see,” Jensen said mysteriously.

After the cake came the presents, more presents than Jared had ever received for a birthday, even when he was little. Gemma gave him a handmade recipe book and a plain, navy apron. The King and Queen gave him a watch that looked way too expensive to wear. Patrick gave him a gift card to a local sex shop that had Jared blushing while Patrick laughed and Jensen shook his head. There were books, art supplies, clothes, and a ticket to a gardening symposium at a local nursery.

Finally the only present left was from Jensen. “Hold on a second, okay? I have to go inside to get your gifts. Matt, can you help me?” Jensen asked before turning back, “Keep your eyes closed, okay?”

Jared nodded and dutifully closed his eyes. He heard the doors open as Jensen and Matt disappeared inside, and then the snick of them opening again, followed by footsteps and a clacking noise. Jared jumped in surprise when he felt something wet nudge against his hands, and his eyes flew open in surprise.

Staring up at him was a dog with a big red bow around its neck. Jensen was holding its leash, and Matt was setting down a box full of dog supplies.

Jared’s eyes widened and he reached out and brushed his hand over the dog’s head, “Jensen?”

“Happy birthday! Do you like her?”

“Yes! She’s really mine?”

“Yes. Her name is Hazel. She’s just under a year old.”

“You rescued her?” Jared said, as he reached down to pick up the dog. She seemed a little underweight, and he figured she was about thirty pounds. She had short, black hair with spots of brown on her legs, floppy ears, and a tail that curled up over her back. 

“Yes, from the city shelter. They found her a few months ago running around downtown. They said that she’d obviously been on her own since she was a puppy, but her tests came back okay and she’s vaccinated and putting on weight.”

“She’s perfect; thank you so much.”

“As soon as I saw her I knew that she needed you. They told me that it’s more difficult to adopt out black dogs, and as she got older, her chances got even lower.”

Hazel wiggled out of Jared’s arms and made her way around the patio, sniffing everyone and basking in the attention.

Jensen put his arm around Jared’s shoulder and pulled him against him, and Jared leaned into his embrace. He’d get up and talk to Sean soon, ask Gemma how she was doing, and thank Matt for helping with the party, but right now, he was content to be held by his husband, watching his new puppy introduce herself to her new family, to his new family. 

He’d thought that his eighteenth birthday would mark the beginning of the end for him. Instead, it marked the beginning of what he was sure was going to turn out to be an amazing life.


End file.
